His sister
by Wingedmidnight88
Summary: Brick went to Pandora to find his sister, he didn't think he would find her like this. My take on who his sister is, how he found her and what their relationship might be like. Not intended to be 'actiony', focusing more on the feels. (Not really Borderlands, I know) Rated T for blood and gore, some possible disturbing images and may be rated M later for explicit and scary scenes.
1. The Bandit Camp

The young, thin girl in the corner of the tiny, metal, circular room was woken from her drug-induced slumber from the sound of gunfire outside, her eyes rolling from the back of her head as she grimaced at the light streaming in through tattered, cloth window coverings. The Bandit leader that lived and imprisoned her there must have gone out to see what the commotion was. Her eyes widened, seeming to realize that if the bandit leader was killed by a rival group, she would be taken as a new prisoner for a new leader.

She tried to stand, but was stopped by the heavy metal cuffs that chained her wrists and ankles behind her, attached to a huge bolt in the stony floor. She strained and squinted to see out the crack of the grated window, her eyes unused to the light. She gasped as blood and grey matter splattered on her face and the floor. She shrieked and swiped it off of her face, the gunshots and shouting growing closer. She shrank back to her corner, trying to be as small as possible when she heard someone at the door.

Roland tried jiggling at the doorknob, only frowning at breaking it off. This was the biggest hut, must belong to the leader and there's gotta be some good stuff in there. Taking a step back, he kicked in the thin, metal door. There was a feminine scream from somewhere inside. "Please! Don't hurt me!" the unseen woman pleaded. He gasped when he saw the trembling, near naked form of a thin young woman chained to something in the cement floor near the back by the sloppy, four poster bed.

He suddenly turn and cupped a hand over his mouth, "Hey! Over here!" He turned back and slowly made his way to her, letting his rifle dangle at his side. He had his palms out to her as he spoke, his voice gentle, "Hey. . Hey, I'm not gonna hurt you, what's your name?" She tried to scuttle backwards, pressing herself against the metal wall, her eyes not leaving his face. "Hey, I'm Roland." He continued, trying to coax a name out of her, half expecting her not to remember it.

Her eyes darted fearfully but she swallowed and looked up at him, seeming to take in his appearance. "I'm. . .Amanda. .A-Amanda Raye." She said, her voice just above a frightened whisper. Roland blinked and a startled look came over his face, he had read or heard that name before. .

"Roland? Hey, Roland, where'd you go?" An irritated male voice lined with a Hispanic accent shouted from outside. Roland turned back.

"In here! The big one!" She shrank back, closer to the base of the chain. "We gotta get those chains off of you, they're cutting into you." Roland said as he turned back to her, she was bleeding and the wounds looked dusty and were starting to crust, like a dog with an embedded collar.

"Would it be alright if I came closer? I can get those off of you." She seemed to weigh the risks before she nodded slowly, not taking her wide, frightened eyes off him. He slowly and deliberately walked to her, kneeling behind her where the cuffs were, spotting a huge crisscrossing scab on her back, like she was lashed.

"Hey Roland, what's tak-" The owner of the irritated, disembodied voice was that of a thin man wearing red goggles attached to a leather cap as he stopped in mid-sentence at the sight of her. She gasped with a whimper and whipped her head back to Roland.

"Hey, hey, Amanda, it's okay, he's with me." He told her softly, touching her arm.

The man in the doorway turned back with a holler, "Hey guys, over here!"

There was a voice of a woman as she scoffed and said something as well as the deep bass voice of another man, grumbling something along the lines of 'It better be good'. "Mordecai, gimme a hand with these." Roland said to the lanky man with goggles.

"Whoa. . . That's a first. ." A woman with red hair and startling gold eyes stood in the doorway, eyeing the younger girl with a slight, surprised smirk on her face before she walked in, going over to examine a chest on the other side of the bed.

"Hey, What'chu wan-" Came the gravelly voice of a huge muscled man that ducked his head through the door, turning so his massive shoulders could fit. He froze at the sight of her, his eyes widening and a startled frown creasing is square features. She stiffened with fear when she saw him, almost hyperventilating.

"Hey, hey, It's alright, we're not here to hurt you, Amanda." Roland said as he put his gloved hand on her shoulder, his voice comforting. It didn't seem to be helping.

"Shit. . ." The huge, muscled man said in a hushed tone as he ducked down, she whimpered quietly in fear and tried to move back and away from him as he approached her slowly. Mordecai muttered something in Spanish in irritation at her moving. The man's face was now lit with a stream of light filtering through a slit in the flimsy ceiling, his small, blue eyes studying her carefully. She looked at him with huge, bloodshot, blue eyes and suddenly gasped, something seeming to be clicking, looking incredulous.

No. . . It couldn't be, could it. .? She slowly and cautiously got to her feet, barely hearing the _'click'_ and triumphant shout of Mordecai. She didn't seem to notice the heavy metal cuffs slide from her skin and land with a _'clunk'_ as she stood. She had her hands wrung at her chest nervously, now less than a foot from him, dwarfed by his seven foot height as he stared down at her, his expression unbelieving. The other two men watched carefully, knowing the mountain of a man was extremely unpredictable.

"Goddamn. . . Mandy?" He said quietly, his voice almost growling. She stared up at him, tears streaming down way down her cheeks, leaving clean trails in her dirty face. She shook her head rapidly in utter disbelief, her eyes not leaving his face.

"No-no-no-no. . . ." She said quietly over and over as he slowly reached out and put a giant hand on her face, leaning forward slightly, his expression easing into realization. She slowly put her smaller hands over his, "I thought I would never see you again . . . – Ah!" she breathed, yelping at the sudden rush as he picked her up, his huge arms wrapping around her.

"Mandy!" The giant man shouted gleefully. A collection of startled gasps and yells rippled in the hut from his comrades in surprise.

"Brick! No! Don't squish her!" Roland yelled, uselessly grabbing onto one of the huge arms around her, trying to pry it off. They froze when the girl slowly wrapped her arms around his broad torso, only meeting halfway. He murmured quietly to her in his rumbling voice, trying to reassure as she began to sob softly into his chest.

She slid down his chest as he released her. She smeared her face with a grimy hand and turned to the two men and the woman. Roland's eyes widened in shock as he seemed to remember something. He reached into a pocket and fished out a slightly crumpled, folded piece of paper. He unfolded it and showed it to his comrades, it was a missing person's poster with Amanda's picture. "Brick, this your sister?" Roland asked and gestured to her.

"Yeah, my baby sister, Mandy." He grunted as he put a hand on her shoulder, pulling her back until she was almost against him.

She looked almost nothing like the picture now, her former long, brown hair had been cropped short so badly it looked like it went through a shredder with stubbly patches, swatches of hair and slashes on her skull where they missed. She was covered in bruises, gashes and sores, wearing only what was left of her underwear and bra and they were torn and barely holding together. She hugged her arms self-consciously, feeling naked. Mordecai grunted and walked out. The woman made a 'humph' noise and followed him out. Roland cleared his throat and looked between them two before leaving the hut. Amanda looked up at Brick, her blue eyes tired.

He studied her face carefully before she slowly turned, her eyes scanning, messy, skull strewn room, visibly grimacing at the shabby four poster bed.

When she turned his did a double take at her back, "Wait." He said, taking hold over her shoulder. She froze, like she was in trouble as looked over her shoulder at him.

He kneeled, "The hell is this . .?" He murmured to himself as he kneeled, carefully touching the edges of the wound on her back. She fidgeted nervously and he stood and let her go her with low, disappointed sigh. She went over to a pile of rumpled clothing and furiously dug through the heap until she finally pulled out a tattered brown shirt, a pair of ripped leather pants and a pair of black boots. She turned back, stiffly holding the clothes to her chest.

He nodded to her, "Go ahead an' get dressed. We'll patch you up when we get to the base." He turned around went to the doorway, folding his arms, his back to her, blocking anyone from going in.

She blinked and pulled on the torn pants and tattered shirt and parked herself on the floor to lace up her boots. She made a pained noise as she tried to pull on the boots over her wounds."Hey!" He said, his head turned back, concerned.

"I-I can't even wear my goddamn boots. The stupid cuffs cut me all to hell." She said, frustrated. She got to her feet and picked up her boots before walking to the door and nudging him in the side. He looked down at her over his shoulder before turning to face her, his expression seeming to soften seeing her so drained. He looked down at her bare feet with an irritated frown, shaking his head at the infected scabs trying to form around her ankles and wrists. She didn't meet his face with her eyes, looking off to the side. He put a hand on her shoulder and stepped to the side, leading her out.

She looked at the two passenger seat Runner and swallowed, turning to look up at her brother. "Somehow, I don't think I'll fit." She looked back to it as she hugged and seemed to shiver.

"No way in hell I'm leavin' you again. I'll walk if I have to." He growled determidly.

"We've got a place that's a couple of miles away. If we can get you there safely, we can figure out what to do next." Roland said, studying the Runner with a hand to his chin.

Mordecai climbed into the driver's seat of the other Runner nearby, "We'll meet you guys at the 'base'." The red-headed woman hopped in the turret on the back, flashing the three a sly smirk before they drove off, kicking up a cloud of dust and sand.

Roland scoffed as he watched them drive away. Brick clambered into the driver's seat and stuck his arm between the safety bars and beckoned his sister over. She went over and gave him a confused look.

"Com'on." He gave a vague gesture to where he sat.

". . . What? Really? You sure?" He rolled his eyes at her as he held out a hand for her to take.

"Mandy, com' _on_." He said impatiently. She bit her lip uneasily before she slowly took his hand. He easily pulled her onto his lap and waited until she stopped fidgeting. It looked a little cramped but he didn't seem to care.

"You guys got a plan or wh-" Roland jogged over and did a double take at the two.

"We goin' or what?" Brick said impatiently as the young woman stared blankly at her lap. Roland was about to say something but was stopped by the glare from he got other man.

"Uh yeah. Yeah." He said before he climbed onto gun turret on the back.


	2. The 'Base'

The sound of the turret firing and explosion from its rockets from the Runner was so loud and the screams of the psychotic criminals as they died were _terrible_. "No-no-no-no-no. . ."She whimpered in a whisper, rocking back and forth in place. The shouting and swearing of Brick at the criminals, the gunfire, explosions, the demented laughter and screaming of the insane outlaws as they got mowed down by the turret seemed to be getting too much for her.

Then it stopped, it was quiet, growl of the engine the outrunner as is drove across the dusty ground being the only sound. She stifled a scream to a squeal as they leapt off of a hill, the vehicle revving emptily over the air. They landed roughly, the entire vehicle nearly teetering on its side. Brick grunted as he gave the vehicle a jerk to right it. Her hands were gripping the side bars with white knuckles and she tried to breath normally as the vehicle thudded back on all four wheels.

* * *

A few hills, craters, and enemy runners later they reached what Roland called 'base', it seemed like it was only what looked like and abandoned gas station, or convenience store. The small building had a gun vending machine and a 'Catch-a-Ride' console, it was surprising that any of it was still active. The other empty Runner sat under the 'Catch-a-Ride' shelter, the others were probably somewhere inside. The runner jostled as Roland hopped off the back. She tried to clamber off of her brother's lap.

"I got it, I got it, gimme a minute. ." She muttered as he fidgeted uncomfortably underneath her. He looked like he wanted to just pick her up and dump her off himself. Grabbing on one side of the bars, she grunted as she pulled herself up and jumped off and landed with a stumble, almost landing face-first. She skidded a little, looking dizzy. She winced on her injured ankles and wrists. He clambered out of the vehicle noisily behind her. She straightened and looked down at her shaking hands.

She gasped when he put a hand on her shoulder, making her jump. "Hey, com'on." He rumbled to her quietly. She looked back, almost hitting her face on his chest, and looked up slowly, stepping back, almost expecting a monster. Her eyes met his face and she looked visibly relieved it was only her brother. His face was rough and marred by scars as his eyes narrowed and his brows knitted together to form what looked like a scowl.

Brick raised an eyebrow questioningly at her, like he was asking if she was alright. She studied his face for another second before she nodded. She gave a little smile as she looked up at him, standing a few feet away. He held out an arm, giving a nod and gesturing her over, his expression turning to a grin. "Get over here." She practically jumped at him when she saw this, rushing over and wrapping her arms around his waist gratefully.

"Hey, I ain't gonna leave you." He told her in a low voice. He lifted her with an affectionate growl, her feet nearly foot off the ground, her arms tiny in comparison to his huge, muscled ones. He leaned forward slightly to let her down as he let go of her and gave her another grin, tousling her bad haircut playfully. She smiled shyly in return and blushed and looked down when she caught sight of Roland watching them with a smile before heading inside.

The small building was rather shabby, but they seemed to make the best of it. To the immediate right, there were large windows covered with slotted metal. There was an adjacent wall across from the entrance and a small, dirty table in the corner. The wall across met up with a dented sink next to a door and a pile of tires. In the un-walled room adjacent to the kitchen had mattress stacks against the two walls. There were a total of four makeshift mattress beds in an 'L' shape. they were probably dragged in from a junkyard nearby.

The girl hugged her arms and was trembling as if she was cold. Brick glanced down at his sister's form, he'd seen it before, this wasn't cold, it was withdrawal. Her pale, clammy skin, the trembling that radiated through her thin body and dilated pupils made it clear to him. They must have controlled her with drugs. She looked around the room, watching Roland walk through the door by the sink that led outside. There was thumping on the wall as he climbed something to get to the roof.

The huge man frowned, "Weren't you in New Haven?" He suddenly asked her, suddenly serious, like the thought just occurred to him. Her nervous gulp was almost audible in her voice as she spoke, ". . . .Yeah. I was supposed to go to the ruins to help set up some new tech, but it fell through before I could get there and I got stuck in New Haven. . ."

"What happened?" He asked, her capture.

His eyes flicked down to her, her expression paining at remembering, ". . . I offered to help fix up some tech while I was there. I made the mistake of helping a man who looked like he was hurt when I was getting salvage outside the main wall. . . He told me he got shot. When I went over, I got grabbed by two other guys. . . I mean, I had my pistol on me but. . ."

He shook his head, "Goddamn motherfuckers. . ." He muttered in a growl.

She chuckled humorlessly, her eyes glued to the floor, "You would figure after all that time in Epimetheus, I would know better. I guess all those times you told me I was too nice didn't stick." She sat down on one of the mattress stacks. She started when she heard movement and saw him standing over her, his arms folded with a look of disapproving. She swallowed guiltily, looking away and down at the floor.

"Hey, this ain't got anythin' to do with bein' _nice_. Those bastards'll do anythingto get what they want, even to someone just tryin' to help."

She cringed and looked down. He kneeled and put his hands on either side of her face, tilting her head up. "Hey, I mean it. You didn't do _nothin'_ wrong, why would I be pissed at _you_? Shit! If I'd know, I would have torn them apart myself instead of puttin' a bullet between their eyes."

She nodded through his hold on her.

"Yeah?"

She nodded again. He seemed to accept her answer before standing and walking over to the warped sink and putting his hands on it with a low sigh. She wiped at her face and sighed too.

A few seconds tick by before she spoke again, her voice stronger.

". . . What happens now?"

There was a pause before he answered, still facing the improvised kitchen, seeming to consider her question, "Can't leave til' we find the Vault."

"What's the Vault? That thing in the ruins?" She seemed surprised.

He looked at her, an eyebrow raised. "_I_ dunno what it is. I just know that thing is our ticket outta here. . ." He turned back to the makeshift kitchen. She looked back to the room, her shoulders slumping slightly, tired.

"What d'you know about it?" He asked abruptly after a few more minutes.

She raised her eyebrows in surprise at him. "I only know what I've heard. There's a lady out by some ruins that's been researching it."

"What's her name?"

"Tannis, I think. The lady in New Haven is always complaining about her. . ."

She suddenly made a little hissing noise of pain and looked down at her wrists. They were starting to scab but were getting inflamed and starting to ooze pus. She winced at the sight of them and looked at her ankles, they were crusty with dust and getting infected as well. A shadow fell over her, she looked up to see Brick handing her a health kit and looking at her expectantly. She slowly took the health kit, looking it over. There were pills, gauze, antiseptic and antibiotic-anesthetic syringes.

She inhaled sharply and groaned through gritted teeth as she shakily poured the antiseptic over her wounds. It burned and seared, hopefully killing anything infectious. He sat next to her, bowing the mattress to one side, watching her carefully. She gingerly wrapped the ends of her limbs, being careful not to cut off any circulation. She huffed nervously, steeling herself before injecting herself with antibiotic on her arms and legs. She sighed, some of the pain subsiding before she put the rest of the items back in the kit.

"Hey. . ." He said pointedly, she looked to see a scowl on his face as he gestured for her to turn her back to him. She gave him a confused frown. He raised his eyebrows expectantly, "Well? Lemme see your back." She slowly turned away from him, feeling him pad on her back with a huge hand. "Shit . . ." He murmured. "Don't you feel that? You're bleedin'."

She tried to turn her head back, but couldn't see as he applied more pressure, causing her to yelp in pain. "Ah! Dammit! Must have been when they. . ." She trailed off and bit at her lip and made a little whimpering noise, like she remembered something awful.

She suddenly gasped loudly and hunched over, the huge scabs cracking open with a quiet _'criiick'_. She made an 'nnng' noise as blood seeped down her lower back. Tears dotted the dirty metal floor as the band of her bra chaffed at the wound. "Goddammit. . .!" She hissed through her gritted teeth, reaching back to press on the wound to try and ease some of the pain.

She pulled the back of her shirt up and turned back, trying to see her back, her face now coated in sweat. She looked at him, pained and pleading. He was studying with look of disgust and anger when he noticed her looking at him. His expression turned serious and he nodded, gesturing for her to give him the rest of supplies, her face reddened as she pulled off her shirt.

She pulled her shirt to her, fumbling at her back as she tried to unlatch the problem band. She didn't look over her shoulder as pain stabbed at her back when the antiseptic hit the open wound, she stiffened and gritted her teeth, gripping her shirt in front of her with white knuckles as she suppressed a scream, only whimpering through her clenched teeth. "You got this." He murmured encouragingly to her as he cleaned the wound, it was starting to get infected.

She breathed heavily through her nose, her eyes watering with pain as she took the roll of gauze he held out from behind for her to pass over her waist. She passed it under her shirt as inconspicuously as possible. It probably wasn't anything he hadn't seen with her but she was embarrassed none the less, her face beet red.

After bandaged to a decent degree, she straightened slowly and latched the bra, feeling him get up and hearing him walk to the side, to give her some privacy. She reached for the last antiseptic syringe and plunged the needle into a 'meaty' area of flesh on the part of her back she can reach, wanting the burning just to stop. She sighed, the anesthetic now numbing her and exhaustion soon following as she slumped her shoulders and head. She frowned as she examined her now bloody shirt, it didn't seem wet enough to wring out. She shrugged and pulled it back on, shivering from the cold blood on the bare part of her back.

She grunted pointedly to get his attention. He turned around and looked down at her. "You look like shit, sis." She looked at him, eyebrows raised in surprise, a smile creeping over her face as she snickered. He shook his head with a chuckle.


	3. The Next Step

Amanda bolted up from the makeshift bed, drenched in sweat and gasping. Her eyes wide and shining with tears in the dim light. Roland started with a grunt, whipping his head back to see what made the noise. He spotted her, "You okay?" She had a hand over her heart and suddenly looked over at him. "Uh. . Yeah, just-just a nightmare." She stuttered nervously, slowly laying back. She tried to get comfortable on the lumpy mattress and go back to sleep, shivering from the cold sweat. She squeezed her eyes shut, trying to push away whatever distubing images in her head. The man sighed and rolled back over.

She curled up in a ball with a quiet whimper. She sat up on the edge of the mattress and held her head in her hands, shaking her head in frustration. She looked over at the occupied mattress by the window in a corner, where her brother lay with his back to the room. She stood and slowly walked over. She bit her lip nervously and rubbed the back of her head, feeling the short stubble patches and clumps of hair and wondering if he would get angry if she woke him up.

She nudged his massive shoulder cautiously, almost expecting him to lash out when he woke up. "Brick, move over." She said quietly but loud enough to be heard. He stirred with a low, growl-like grunt and looked over his shoulder slowly, his expression like he expected something to pounce on him. She had her arms folded and shoulders hunched, looking at him just as warily. He blinked, seeming to register something before rolling over to face her and moving back.

"Bad dream?" He asked in a raspy, groggy voice as he absently patted the space in front of him, yawning mightily.

"Yeah. . ." She replied quietly as she climbed on the mattress and curled into a ball, her back to his chest. "Don't squish me." She told him quietly, earning a gravelly chuckle as he put a massive arm around her, pulling her closer.

"Brick." She whispered. He only grunted in response, trying to go back to sleep, ". . Remember when I was little and I found that guy's dead body in the alley. . .?"

"Had nightmares for weeks and you'd come in my room when I was home. Sure I 'member." He said, clearing his throat, surprisingly quiet.

"Thanks. . .glad you remembered."

He scoffed, "Who could forget their first dead body?" He said with a yawn, sounding dismissive, but she smiled and knew he meant it.

* * *

"No, no, no, go back to sleep, Mandy." Brick said as he tried to get himself from behind his sister, feeling her move. He picked her up by the waist and shifted her as gently as possible.

She woke up suddenly, shooting off of the mattress when she felt him moving. Her body reacting before her mind was even awake to register where she was. She stood a few feet from the mattress, her eyelids struggling to stay open, away from the immediate 'danger' her body thought she was in.

He frowned, surprised at her reaction. He stood from the mattress and reached out and grabbed her gently but firmly by the shoulders and steered her back to the bed, "Go back to sleep." He commanded. She mumbled something sleepily, her head hanging drowsily as she climbed back on, seeming to recognize that she was safe as she curled up and rolled over, inching her way to where he was laying for warmth. He sighed as he looked down at her and shook his head before heading through the door to the back of the building, making his way to the roof, where the rest of his teammates were.

"'Bout time you woke up, what are we gonna do with her?" Mordecai said, his hands on his hips. He just glared at the sniper before sitting on a crate.

"We gotta take down those Runners so we can deal with Mad Mel." Roland said, ignoring the thin man and turning his attention to the other Vault Hunters.

Lilith was in the middle of inspecting her crimson painted nails when she spoke, not looking up, "Yeah, what _about _the girl? She going to be a problem?"

"That _girl_ is the reason I came to this fuckin' rock an' the only reason I'm still here is cuz' that 'Vault' is the only way I can get her an' me off." He snapped.

She made an irritated face but didn't say anything else.

Roland cleared his throat, "Brick, you have to admit, she does have a point. We don't need her getting hurt any more than she is now, looks like she's already been through hell and back." Lilith looked like she was about to retort something but thought better of it, returning her attention to her nails.

"I can't leave her here, not with all those bastards wanderin' around." Brick muttered.

"Okay, she know how to use a gun?" The former soldier asked Brick.

He shook his head, "I taught her when she was a kid, she might still know how. She's gonna have't learn, one way or another."

"Yeah, well, this all great, but that's going to take forever. Might as well be off on my own." Mordecai muttered, irritated.

"You wanna run that by me again, little man? You got a problem with her?" Brick growled threateningly, slowly standing.

"Guys, guys! This isn't helping us to get any closer to finding the Vault. We have to get to New Haven and the last thing we need is you guys killing each other." Roland interjected loudly.

The two glared daggers at each other but seemed to quietly agree. "How about this." The former soldier asked, looking to both of them, _"We'll_ take care of the Runners and you stay here and teach her what she needs to know about defending herself. We should be able to draw their attention while you teach her. She obviously doesn't trust any of us to be left alone with."

The huge man shifted his lower jaw thoughtfully before speaking, "Fine. Just don't take forever, I wanna get moving."

"That alright with you guys?"

"Fine, whatever." Lilith said haughtily as she walked back, making her way down.

"Yeah, yeah. Blood! Time to go get some dinner!" Mordecai said, beckoning his pet bird, who cawed happily and followed its master eagerly. Brick made a 'humph' noise and followed them down into the building.

* * *

He scratched the back of his head stood over his sister as she slept, he _had_ wanted her to get more sleep but they needed to keep moving. He gently shook her shoulder, "Mandy, wake up." The girl started and looked up at him with huge eyes.

She tried to catch her breath and rubbed her eyes. "You still 'member how to fire a gun?" She sat up and scratched her head, her stomach suddenly growling.

Her face flushed a bit and she ignored it, "Yeah, I haven't had much use for it, I guess now is as good as time as any, huh?"

He seemed to ignore her answer, "When's the last time you ate?"

Her face went blank as she tried to remember, "Uh, about a day ago, I found an old MRE. They didn't really feed me. . ." His frown deepened and he wordlessly grabbed a ration bar from his inventory port and it to her. She took it gratefully and tore it open, taking a sizable bite, sighing in relief.

* * *

"No, I'm not getting in that thing, I can do more damage from here, believe it or not." The Truxican sniper snapped at the two from atop a tin roof hut. The man and woman frowned dubiously and watched where he was aiming. Sure enough, he popped off a few rounds, resulting in screams and an explosion.

"Hmph, yeah and you also get all the fun." Lilith scoffed before she climbed into the Turret seat on the Runner, Roland following after, seating himself in the driver's seat. The psychotic, shirtless criminals hung from the sides of the enemy Runners, cackling maniacally and yelling threats of eating the bounty hunters for dinner when they were done with them.

Roland and Lilith skidded to a stop in front of Lucky's Last Chance Watering hole, the two were covered in char and blood. They looked up at Mordecai as he nimbly jumped from the staggered platforms to meet them. Eight smoldering piles of metal and tires dotted the Dahl Headlands.

Lilith squealed happily, "Ooh! That was fun!"

Mordecai grinned, turning his attention to his bird, handing her a piece of dried meat, "Atta girl. You did good, huh?" The creature cooed contentedly and nuzzled his hand with a bloody beak.

Roland shook his head with a grin as shifted in his seat, "Come on guys, let's see if they're ready to go."

* * *

The three returned to the base to see Brick laughing proudly at his sister as she stood over a pile of skags, reloading. "So, how'd she do?" The former soldier said as he jogged over the huge man. He grinned in return and whistled to get her attention, beckoning her over with a wave of his arm.

"Great, think we're ready to go." She looked up and shot down another skag loping toward her before she trotted over, her hair now neatly shaved, revealing the browning, scabbed slashes across her skull.

He looked down at her, "Hey, you ready to go?" He asked as she fingered the new shield module at her hip absently.

"Yeah. You have to get rid of that bandit lord to get into New Haven, right?"

Roland nodded, glancing back at the other two bounty hunters near the Runner. "We'll get another Runner, you know how to drive?" Her face paled slightly and she looked up at her brother uneasily. He frowned and looked down at her. They seemed to have a conversation of some kind as they looked at each other.

They both looked back to Roland, "No." They said in unison.

He gave them a weird look, "Alright, how was the last setup? Not the most practical but. . ."

Brick just shrugged, looking down at her, "I'm fine with it, you're so damn tiny anyway." He said, grinning as he nudged her shoulder teasingly with a fist. She gave a little smile as she shook her head and batted at his hand playfully in return.

"I'm fine with it if he is." She said as she jabbed a thumb up at her brother and turning to facing Roland.

"Alright then, let's get moving, we got a bandit boss to kill." He said before he strode over to one of the vehicles parked outside the tiny building, the Hunter and the Siren following.

Brick walked toward the vehicle to join them but stopped and looked back, "Hey Mandy, c'mon."

She seemed to snap out of some kind of trance when he spoke to her, blinking and nodding at him before cantering over. She watched him climb in the driver's seat and glanced up at the turret. Roland shot her a reassuring smile. She gave a small smile in return and took her brother's outstretched hand, getting pulled onto his lap.

"Alright! Let's go!" She said, suddenly fired up and took hold of the side safety bars. Brick chuckled and gunned the gas pedal, driving off to the arena where Mad Mel resided.


	4. Remembering

"Hey, this one work?" Brick asked his sister.

She looked up from checking over a chest and just barely caught the shield he tossed at her, "Yeah, this is a good one, nearly the same as the other one I have."

"You guys done yet? Wanna get the hell out of here. Fuckin' tired. . ." Mordecai complained with a yawn as he got off from a crate, reaching to pet his bird on the head and beak.

"Yeah, let's go." Brick said and nudged Amanda to follow him as he walked by her.

Their improvised base was for the night was an old building they cleared out made of sheet metal. It had no roof and the second floor was visible from the first. Only a few masked and shirtless insane criminals, or 'psychos' as locals call them, were living in it. It was a small warehouse, if it could be called it that because it was only two stories tall, the roof was missing, there were a few door-sized holes in the walls upstairs and it stood on stilts dug into a hillside. There were a few mattresses scattered around the building the outlaws used as beds. "I'll take first watch." Roland volenteered as they started a fired to settle in for the night.

There was walkway on the second floor leading to a makeshift balcony that had been sloppily but sturdily attached to the side of the building that was above the entrance. Roland could be heard reloading his guns as he got ready for a night of watch.

Night finally settled on the planet and the bounty hunter were scattered throughout makeshift base, Lilith was laid on her side with her back to the room on a mattress near the entrance of their camp. Mordecai was seated on a stack of crates in a slumped position, an arm on a knee near his face and his pet, Bloodwing was perched on his shoulder, a beak tucked under a leathery wing, Roland was on the makeshift balcony, keeping watch for the first rotation.

Amanda sat across from Brick by the fire, taking apart and tinkering with the shield he found for her. He was eyeing her cautiously as she worked, wary of any potential explosions that might happen from her tampering with any technology. Her eyelids were starting to droop as she worked, making zap herself. She yelped and shook her hand with a grimace. She heard a gravelly snigger across from her. She narrowed her eyes and gave her brother a mock glare.

"C'mon, it's late." He told her as he stood from the crate he was sitting on, waving her over with a hand. "Be grateful Roland volunteered to take first watch, gonna be a long ass night." She put the unfinished project in her storage deck. She nodded sleepily and yawned before getting up and sitting on a dirty mattress that she dragged underneath the stairs. She faced the wall, sitting on her knees and pulled out an Insta-Health Vial. She'd been injecting them near her wounds to help speed up the healing. She was finally able to go without the bandages, only having the puckering scabs on her ankles and wrists. She could also move without opening the massive, crisscross scab on her back.

She lay onto her back, wincing slightly at the pressure on her tender back as she looked up past the grated stairs to see him glancing at her before continuing upstairs. She gave him a small smile, causing him to stop and do a double take and give her a crooked smile in return before heading upstairs. She looked to the starry sky, watching polluted grey-green clouds lazily drift by, across the scarred, white moon that hung in the sky. She rolled on her side, and faced the wall, curling up and trying to sleep, listening to the sound of a Rakk cry in the distance.

A few hours passed when she woke from a deep sleep with a loud gasp, drenched in sweat and her eyes wide. "Goddammit. . . " She said in a whispering growl as she grabbed at her temples, trying to press out the disturbing memories in her head. The first nightmare she'd had in a couple of days. She thought she had solved those fears by picking up a gun, thinking it would be that easy. The dreams she'd had before she couldn't remember, but they her exhausted. She kept reliving everything, the torture, the rape, any of it. She _still_ felt helpless and small and knew it would never really go away, like scar she was going to have on her back, a constant reminder of what happened to her.

The instinct to hide was almost overwhelming as she stood and paced the bottom floor, her rifle in hand, trying to drive the fear away. Her heart was beating so fast and fear blossomed in throbs from her chest. She just wanted to feel safe again, was that really too much to ask? She wanted to climb into bed with her Mom and listen to her soothe her back to sleep and be held her in her arms and tell her she was safe. But her mother was dead and she was alone, well, almost.

She lowered her rifle and looked up toward the railing seen on the second floor and stooped to a curled crouch, rocking back and forth on her feet, her palms making a smacking noise as she pounded them against her forehead, _"Get out, get out, get out!" _She growled, trying to drive out the damn flashbacks.

She shook her head and gave herself a few more dizzying smacks before she stood, feeling a bit lightheaded as she looked up at the exposed second floor, she knew couldn't go running to her big brother every time she felt scared. She had been by herself for a good five years, after their mother died and a total of seven years after he left home. It was seven years since she had actually seen him in person. Why did being alone have to be different this time?

She went back over to the mattress and rolled onto it, curling up in the fetal position, tears working their way down her face and quiet, choked sobs suddenly racked her body. She gritted her teeth in frustration as she she curled up tighter, hoping to dissappear.

She sat up and She massaged her temples before standing and pacing again, rifle in hand. She shook her head and angrily wiped the at the her eyes and walked upstairs, intending to keep watch by a window near the walkway since she couldn't sleep.

She reached upstairs and stopped in mid-step when she saw Brick sitting against the wall on the floor with his arms folded and his head hung, sleeping. She rubbed the back of her head slowly, taking a deep breath and she walked over to the window a few feet away from him and sat against the wall, hugging her knees and resting her chin on them.

"Can't sleep?"

She stifled a yelp when she jumped at the sound of his low voice and her head whipped to him, he still had his arms folded but was looking at her. She hadn't realised until now that she had a hand over her heart as she looked over at him.

"No, remembering too much shit." She replied and put her chin back on her knees. He made a noise that sounded like a cross between a grunt and clearing his throat. She looked over to see him with an arm out to her, beckoning her over with a wave of his fingers. He nodded for her to come over.

She swallowed and tried to work up the nerve to say no, only making an 'mmm' noise.

"You know I ain't gonna bite. Get over here."

She pulled her lips behind her teeth, making a nervous line for a mouth before she tentatively got up and went over and sat down under his still outstretched arm. She leaned against his huge chest with a grateful sigh. He put his arm around her and tilted his head back with a low sigh.

She counted the various scars on his arm with her eyes as she tried to distract herself from the memories. She counted twelve before he spoke up, "You don't gotta be alone anymore. I mean, I wasn't there when Ma died, but I'm here now."

She reached up an touched his face to get his attention, a disappointed frown on her face, "Hey. I know you couldn't come home, you were in another system when she went, it's not your fault." He looked at her for a moment before looking back up.

She wrung at her fingers before she spoke again, "I took her to the shore, thought she would like that because she said she'd never been."

"Yeah" He said quietly. She buried her face in the side of his chest with a shaky sigh. He gave her a little reassuring squeeze.

"Get some sleep, gonna need you with me when I go on watch in a few hours."

". . .How many is a few? Aren't the nights here like forty-five hours?"

"Yeah, like I said, long ass night. We got 'bout three hours 'fore we go for watch."

Her brows knit together in a frown as she realized something, "Wait, you're gonna teach me?" He seemed to be trying to sleep when he answered, "Yeah, gotta learn some time."

"Alright." She rested her head on the side of his chest and trying to sleep again, folding her arms.


	5. First Watch

Ayumi opened her eyes to a world of neon green, she knew where she was, in one of the many tubes in the lab she grew up in. She was curled in the fetal position, suspended in the liquid, her long, black hair hovering around her naked body like a halo. She slowly peered over the tubed oxygen mask over her nose and mouth. She moved slightly, instantly racked with excruciating pain, remembering the enormous needle in her spine, nearly running the length of her back. It was preventing her from moving as well as using her mind externally.

Being in this glass tube always made her sleepy, her eyelids slowly sinking. "Subject thirty-three, wake up." She lazily opened her eyes when she heard the annoyed voice being broadcast from a speaker directly above her, in the lid of the tube. She said something in Japanese that sounded suspiciously like an insult, her voice low.

"While I am here, you will speak _english_, thirty-three." He said, sounding disgusted. She raised her eyes to a glare, the liquid bubbling angrily around her from her mind. He turned to a technician, "Raise the dosage to another ten miligrams." He said casually. She felt the concentrated liquid clawing its way up her spine, raking the tender nerves. She closed her eyes tightly in pain, pulling her mind back.

This was her least favorite person, Dr. Baker. He transferred to the Japan branch of the Weyland-Yutani company from America and _supposedly_, he was an expert in Genetics and their potential values. Either way, she couldn't stand how condescendingly he always spoke to her, like she was an annoying pest. She eyed his round form blearily, a half glare creasing her tired features.

She opened her eyes, he was giving her a small, smug smile. In her worst English,"I _do_ have a name, you know." She said slowly, drawing out each unciation with a heavy asian accent, knowing full well he couldn't stand it.

"Yes, yes, of _course_ you do." He replied impatiently, his voice bordering on contempt. He adjusted his glasses from the other side of the thick glass, "We're nearly done with this test and will be able to go back to your quarters, _Ayumi_."

Her eye twitched in annoyance at the last part, the way he nearly spat out her name, if only this damned needle wasn't through her spine, she would love to toss him against the wall like a rag doll. She let her eyes close and felt the familiar coolness of the normal dosage of the test solution coursing up her back as it was being injected.

"Miss? Ayumi?" She slowly blinked her eyes open, looking for the source of the male voice, it wasn't that horrible little man, Dr. Baker, it was someone else. . "Right here, ma'am. Are you well? You looked as though you were in distress." She looked over at David, his features soft and simulating worry.

She sat up, "I'm fine, David, just some memories I would rather forget." She said wearily.

"Ah, in the lab I take it?"

She narrowed her eyes suspiciously, "How did you know that?"

He tilted his head curiously, "I've watched you dream when we were in transit on the ship, this particular instance occurred often. Your heart-rate was elevated, indicating a level of distress." He replied, as if it was obvious.

She looked at him for a few moments before rubbing her eyes tiredly, looking around, noticing she was in her underwear that was slightly crunchy from the dry blood. She peered under the dark gray, water-like cloth that was covering her, it was smooth and comfortably cool. She looked beside her underneath the blanket, seeing and feeling the same surface as the 'loveseat' in the communications room earlier, with tones of grey and black with a dull finish, instead of glistening like the biosuit the Engineer wore. She almost didn't want to leave it, it was so comfortable.

She shifted her shoulders, expecting to pull at the scar on her back, only feeling for the first time since she was small, no pain or strained skin. She put a hand to the small of her back tentativly, running her fingers on the smooth skin, only a trace of the ragged, old wound. Her hand trailed to her tailbone, to the small, circular scar where the metal needle port was removed before her journey. It was also smooth and nearly gone. "Interesting. . ." She murmured, eyeing the dark, bonelike framework along the walls of the room. Everything was annoyingly blurry with her bad vision. "Where are we?"

"We are near our destination. The Engineer has gone to rest in one of the crew chambers nearby. You fell asleep in the navigation room, ma'am."

"How long?"

"Two hours, three minutes. I would suggest you rest some more before we arrive in the system, you will need your energy."

Her stomach growled rudely, she looked at him, "I don't suppose you found anything for me to eat, have you?"

"Yes, ma'am, I remembered that you have to eat." He said with a smile, turning to one of the utility pouches at his hip, pulling out a black and smooth, oblong shaped item, it looked like a glossy stone.

She eyed it warily as he gave it a squeeze, opening the center to reveal what looked like a small, light brown cake, it reminded her of ration bars. "Are you sure it's edible?"

"Positive, he ate one before he went into his quarters, surely it must be alright for _you_ to eat."

"Where did you get it?"

"He gave it to me."

She looked shocked, "Why?"

"I believe he showed concern for your well-being."

"What-what did he say?"

A blank look came over his face before he spoke, _"This is not for you, construct, give it to her when she wakes." _David said, suddenly reverteding to the voice of the Engineer. Her eyes widened, shocked at the android's ability to replay it with his own lips, it was _creepy_.

She collected herself, giving him a strange look before speaking, "Erm, yes. . .I wonder why that is. Now that I think about it, I _did_ faintly sense something earlier, something akin to respect, or something of the like."

"Perhaps it is because you saved his life."

She didn't answer as she took the object from David and gave it a sniff, it smelled grainy and faintly sweet. He reached over and gave it another squeeze, opening it further and she gave it an experimental nibble, finding that it tasted rather bland and had the texture of cheese, it was pleasantly strange. She ate it quietly, grateful to be getting something in her stomach. "I analyzed it and found that it is mainly digestible protein and fiber, possibly for long journeys such as this." She nodded, finishing the last bit, it was surprisingly filling.

She gave him back the container and looked around for her suit, "Why did you undress me?"

"I assumed it would be more comfortable, I have no intention of humiliating you."

"I know, David, thank you for your consideration. I trust you."

"Thank you, Ma'am."

She rubbed her eyes again, 'What have you been doing? Do you know where their homeworld is?"

"I have known that for some time, Miss. I have, however, done some research on their lore and history and it is quite intriguing."

"Really? Please, continue."

"Of course. Their planet is much like Earth but a bit larger and much colder, temperatures dipping far into the negative, particularly at night."

"With the technology they have, I would imagine they don't have any difficulty. Have they made other species like humans?"

"In the same way, yes. They have 'seeded' other primordial planets just as they did for Earth when it was young."

"How?" She asked eagerly as she straightened and folded her legs under her.

"From what I have read, they perform a ritual with a chosen individual and it is considered an honor. They then ingest the substance much like the one I used on Dr. Halloway and it disintegrates their body to basic building blocks and over millions of years, said building blocks form the new species."

She was listening intently with large, fascinated eyes. "Incredible. . ." She breathed with a smile. "What about their government, the 'Council' you mentioned earlier?"

"Yes, they are governed a selected group of individuals they call 'The Council', much like Earth's 'Geniocrasy'. Each with traits such as wisdom, intelligence, innovation, etc."

"Sounds like old men who make the decisions." She muttered, reminded of Earth.

"I suppose you could put it like that." He said, sounding thoughtful.

"What about their women?"

"From what I gather in the ship archive, they are treated as equals to the males and seem more intelligent, much like human men and women."

She snorted, amused.

He smiled, "I don't understand."

"So, the women are a bit smarter, hm? I just find that amusing."

Still looking mildly confused, "I see."

_"Do not speak unless you are spoken to." _Korvak told her hours later as they stood at the large docking doors. Her heart was pounding and she resisted the urge to grab David's hand, keeping her arms rigidly at her sides. She only nodded stiffly, trying to slow her breathing, she was excited and terrified at the same time. She strained to hear the thoughts of the approaching Engineers on the other side of the huge doors, unable to make out the rapid language, only seeing flashes of images; urns, the substance, a barren planet.

'_They had to have known what would happen if something went wrong. ." _She thought and gave in, snatching David's hand in her own, feeling him turn slightly to her. The doors rolled open and about five or so towering beings walked through, two slimmer and slightly shorter than the rest. She realized they were women. They all wore identical grey biosuits, their faces each unique in their own way but concurrently similar. It was eerie and fascinating at the same time.

She swallowed nervously when the group suddenly stopped when they saw the smaller humanoids standing next to Korvak.

_"What is this? Treachery! You bring these abominations to us?!" _A particularly burly Space Jockey barked the apposing Engineer. Korvak growled, stepping forward, _"Enough! This one has saved my life, I will not tolerate this hostility!" _He snapped at him in return, gesturing to Ayumi, his arm held out in front of her protectively. _"_

_She speaks our tongue and possesses a powerful ability. The construct is her companion, you will not harm either of them!" _He snarled commandingly. She looked up at him, nearly floored by him protecting her.

_"You dare to command me?!" _The larger male responded hotly, stepping forward as well.

_"Enough! You will do as_ _**I**__ say!" _A female growled to him, her voice less grating and gravelly than either of the males'. Ayumi sensed the authority radiating from her, she must be in command of this ship. The woman roughly shouldered her way past her subordinate. The large man hesitated before he stepped back, shooting Korvak a glare. _"I will allow this because the Council seeks to speak with one of their kind. There were whispers of one of their vessels out by the condemned moon."_ The woman continued, her voice stern. Ayumi swallowed and shrank back slightly under the glower she got from the other beings.

She locked eyes with the Space Jockey woman, feeling her caution and power seeping into her mind, as if a warning. Ayumi straightened and sent a warning of her own; men being tossed with her mind, the memory of pinning the enormous, squid-like creature and assisting Korvak. She wasn't someone to be underestimated.

The female narrowed her eyes and gave the human a considering, suspicious look. _"You speak our language? What is this ablility you possess?"_

_"I have studied your language extensively and I am well versed. I have the power to manipulate objects and see others' thoughts with my mind."_

She frowned dubiously,_ "How is this done?"_

_"I am the thirty-third in the line of many in the creation of an advanced individual of my race. I have had extensive genetic experimentation and engineering since I was conceived." _She replied, her voice strong. The woman held her gaze for a few moments before gesturing commandingly for the entire group to move through the docking bay and into the other, unfamiliar ship.

The other, younger looking woman pointed to a chamber door for Ayumi to enter, David and Korvak being instructed to do the same to two others. She was followed in by the female before she nervously looked up at her, _"Undress and step into the chamber."_ She ordered the smaller humanoid, beckoning to a tall tube in front of them. She did as she was told, the flushing in her face creeping down her neck as she stepped in the now open tube, stark naked, self-consiously hugging her arms. The female Engineer didn't seem to care, only walking over to a console and entering a series of commands.

_"Be still."_ She told Ayumi, giving one final press of a button. There was a flash and the tube was flooded with a pale, blue, tingling mist. A bright green holo-sheet descended on her, encompassing the length of the tube, scanning over her body, back and forth several times until it seemed to determine her thoroughly decontaminated. There was a strange beeping noise and the mist dissipated and the holoscreen vanished, the tube door smoothly sliding open.

The woman waved for her to come out of the chamber, pointing to her underwear and suit hanging in a similar tube, cleaned now as well. Ayumi nervously dressed herself, noticing her tube-like bra was now completely white, matching her panties. She stepped into the suit and pulled it on, making sure everything was in place before looking up at the woman again. _"Come." _She said, stepping out of the room and waiting by the doorway.

She was led back into the hub room, now meeting with Korvak and David. "Are you alright, Ms. Nakamura?"

"Yes, David, thank you."

Korvak shot her a warning look for speaking. The female leader stood before them, _I am Rakel and I am in command of this vessel. While you are on this vessel, you will do as I command or risk severe punishment." _

_"As you say." _Ayumi replied respectfully, dipping her head forward slightly.

Rakel turned to Korvak, _"You, what is your designation?"_

_"I am Korvak, one of the soldiers chosen to go to the world, Tersa."_

The woman seemed satisfied with this answer, looking back to the smaller beings. _"Jeslik will show you to the quarters you will be staying in." _She said, pointing to the other female Space Jockey.


	6. New Haven

**I'm quite happy with this very long chapter, I hope you all like it too!**

Amanda watched her brother and Roland in the Runner speed around the arena like area from behind the grated ramp that rose that the bandit boss, 'Mad Mel' called base in the Dahl headlands. Mad Mel was a giant man who ruled over all the bandit groups in the Dahl Headlands. He needed to be dealt with if they were to get to New Haven, the place where the next clue to The Vault would be.

"You stay out here and don't fire at them 'cuz they'll see you an' I ain't gonna risk losin' you again." Brick told his sister as he looked over at the gated ramp entrance.

"But I have my DNA in the New-U system." She pointed out.

He put his hands on his hips, giving a look that told her not to argue with him, "You know how many times we've had those bastards jump us as soon as we get out?"

She huffed impatiently, "But what about you?"

His expression softened when he saw her unease and put a hand on her shoulder and gave her a confident grin. "Don't worry about me, kiddo, I got this." Anyone may have been terrified to see him smile because it seemed like his expression was a permanent scowl with his scarred face. The mix of a smile and that was frightening. She only frowned, and opened her mouth to argue with the huge man, he shot her a warning look, like a parent scolding his daughter.

She gave him a mildly irritated look before putting a hand on his oversized one and speaking almost pleadingly, "Please, be careful." He just chuckled in reply and climbed in the seat of the runner gun. He wasn't worried about necessarily her dying, but getting taken again.

The only other woman, Lilith, could move through dimensions and electrify anything with a thought. She could handle herself at least until she met up with her squad mates. Amanda listened to the primal grunts of the huge, psychotic outlaws as they ran at the vehicles. She gulped and tried to push away the memory of one of her many rapes, only managing to cut it short, the mutated man's grunting disturbingly matching that of one in her memory. "No. . !" She growled determinedly under her breath as she mentally shoved away the images and looked back to the malformed, psychotic men.

They were abnormally tall and muscled with a tiny, atrophied arm as they ran toward the vehicles, waving a crude axe. Lilith had 'volunteered' to stay with Amanda in case anything came up behind them. A flaming wheel flew over her head but she barely noticed, her eyes glued to one of the runners driving that carried her brother and Roland around the ring of fire in the middle, blasting off rockets at Mad Mel, Mordecai cracking off rounds from a distance with his sniper rifle.

The ally runner slowed to a stop near her,

"Are you hurt?"

"You a'right?"

She blinked, they had asked each other at the same time. She nodded and clambered onto his lap. She was small enough not to get in his way when he drove, his arms by her shoulders when he was steering. "You know, you gotta let me drive sometime, you're gonna get tired of me sitting on you." He just made a grunting noise and shifted her a bit in response before they headed to the gate that led to New Haven.

They passed under the arch that led to New Haven. Amanda climbed over the side bars and jumped off, dust stirring up in a cloud at her feet as she straightened and looked around. Her breath seemed to catch in her throat as she looked over the small town, "It's been a while. . " She said softly.

"Hey! That you, Gidget?" She turned to the source of the voice to see Scooter, the resident mechanic and owner of the 'Catch-A-Ride' stations. He was sitting under an un-walled garage at a table, gaping at her, incredulous. "What the hell happen'd to your hair? Last I heard you went missing, what the hell happened?"

"I uh. . .-"

"We got a problem here?" A low growl said from behind her. Brick hovered over her, casting her in a shadow.

She turned around and looked up at him, "Uh, No, no. . .Hey, Brick, this is Scooter, remember him saying he wanted to meet you in person?"

"Pleased to meet'cha, partner. Thanks for all that killin' an' whatnot you did and savin' Lucky for me to kill him myself later." Brick eyed him suspiciously before answering with a half snarl and walking off. The girl watched him head further into the small town before turning back to Scooter with a little smile.

"Oh hey man, you didn't answer me. What happen'd to you? Some a' those bastard bandits take you or somethin'?"

She shifted from one foot to the other uncomfortably. He just nodded, "Well, s'good to have you back, glad you're a'right." She just nodded.  
Mordecai brushed past her as he walked by, heading for the Markus's store in the center of the town, Roland following after, putting a hand on her shoulder briefly as he walked by. Lilith wandered further in with her hips swaying, catching the attention of several male residents.

"Newcomers in New Haven, a word with you in my office if you would?" They all gathered in her office a few minutes later, Brick was folding his arms, standing behind Amanda while the rest stood, uninterested, nearby. Pierce paced back and forth in the small office, agitated, "You've got some nerve, Vault Hunters, strutting into New Haven like the world owes you something. Well, I've got news for you. You pull your own weight here, or you die. Before I'll lift one finger to help you on your mad quest for the Vault, you're going to do something for me. The last electrical storm blew out New Haven's power grid. Scooter tells me the equipment is fixed now, but someone needs to go reactivate the generators. That's where you come in." She wagged a finger at them for emphasis, like she was scolding a bunch of kids and not hardened bounty hunters.

They just nodded curtly in affirmation. Roland was the first to speak up, "Show us the locations and we'll get them on."

They were about to leave the office when the Administrator spoke up again, "Wait a moment. ." They turned back to see Pierce's good eye widen, the other on the badly burned side of her face failing to follow suit, ". . .Ms. Raye? Is that you?" The other, younger woman paled when she addressed her, slowly turning around. "My God, what happened to you?" Amanda unconsciously bit her lip, not saying anything as the woman continued, "You were last seen outside the northern wall months ago. Were you taken by those savages?" Brick put a hand on her shoulder, watching and listening, the other three shuffling out. "I got as many people as I could to go out there and look for you, but I couldn't afford to lose any more people, I'm sorry."

He was about to say something when Amanda suddenly turned back to him. He was almost startled when he looked down at her. She put a hand on his chest , and looked up, as if to reassure him. "It's okay, I got it." She said quietly before she turned back. He only frowned and looked back to Pierce. ". . .I shouldn't have been outside the walls even though that was the only place to find any decent parts." She said.

"I appreciate your dedication to help New Haven Ms. Raye, but we need everyone to be as safe as possible here." She replied with an echo of a chuckle in her voice. The was a _'crick'_ as Brick audibly clenched is teeth in irritation behind her. Pierce didn't seem to notice, "I take it you have joined the Vault Hunters and their 'treasure hunt'?"

The girl blinked and furrowed her brow, "I suppose you could say that."

"Am I also correct in assuming Mad Mel is dealt with?"

"You are."

"Wonderful, one less criminal to terrorize us."

Amanda nodded again and turned back, putting a hand on Brick's arm as he still faced the office, "Wait, Ms. Raye. . . I am truly sorry for what happened to you, I want you to know that we did the best we could to find you. It is my responsibility to look out for the citizens here." Pierce told her with compassion in her voice.

She turned her head back, "Thank you . . ."She replied quietly before taking a step to go around Brick as he almost obscured the door. She suddenly seemed to remember something as she turned back, ". . . Has anyone moved into the unit I was staying in?"

The administrator pulled open a drawer and flipped through some files before taking one out and reading it over briefly, "Hmm. . . No, not at the moment, the man that was staying there moved on from here, I'm going to grant it back to you. I trust that you will continue to assist with the maintenance here with Mr. Scooter?" She said as she wrote something down and returned the folder to its drawer and then handed her a key on a ring. Amanda took the key with a nod and nudged her brother in the ribs with her knuckles to move. He shot the woman a glare before complying and walking out.

They left the office and found the other three of their comrades waiting outside. She always seemed shy when she spoke to them, her voice tentative, ". . . We have somewhere to stay tonight, she gave me back the unit I was staying in. The deal is I have to help fix some stuff around here. I'll stay here if you guys have stuff out there you have to do."

Roland put a hand to his chin thoughtfully, "Well, we do need to resupply and it would be a good time to rest. What do you guys think?" Mordecai shrugged, seeming to agree, Lilith only responded with similar shrug. "Let's get the power back on or they're never stop bothering us." He continued, looking over his map. They looked to their maps for the tiny, glowing triangle that indicated the generators.

"I'll get the one on the rooftop and the tenement. I've been all over these buildings." Amanda said, closing the holographic interface and looking to the rest.

"Alright, I'll get on at the north gate, I saw it earlier." The former soldier said, turning to look to his teammates.

When they all met back up in the administrator's tiny office, the woman folded her arms, "So, you're not afraid to get your hands dirty with a little real work now and then. I'm glad to see that you're good for something other than slaughtering bandits." She said, seeming a little less unimpressed with them.

All of them dispersed but Amanda and Brick. He seemed to sense something her and he grabbed her arm as she almost walked away. He turned her to face him, "Hey, what's goin' on? Talk to me."

She looked up at him, not quite meeting his face, "I'm fine, really." He raised an eyebrow dubiously, turning his head, expecting a better answer. She half-sighed, half-groaned and leaned forward, her forehead on his chest, looking defeated. "Let's just say I'm glad I'm not alone this time around." She said in a muffled voice. He shook his head and put an arm around her with a pat before turning her around.

"A'right, where's this place you got?" He asked.

She pointed toward the south-east side of the town, "The one on the second floor over there."

"Heyyouhearwhenthewater'sgonnacomebackon?" She stopped and looked at the man man leaning on the side of the building, wearing what looked like a surgeon's mask with a southern-'esque' accent, giving him a confused frown, like he was an alien. It dawned on her that he was asking her 'When the water's gonna come back on'.

Her frown deepened, ". . . How long has it been out?"

"Couple'a weeks, some asshole busted the console an' no one knows how to fix it."

"Not even Scooter?"

"Nope." He replied simply.

"I'll take a look at it. . ." The man nodded to her, seeming satisfied as she headed to her unit.

She trudged up the ramshackle stairs, Brick following closely behind. She unlocked the metal door, having to jiggle the key and shove the door a bit beforehand. The door opened with a metallic creak, "Well, here it is. My home away from home." She looked around, spotting the single, metal frame bed, "We'll need to bring some mattresses or something for you guys to sleep on. . ." She said distractedly, trailing off slightly. He cleared his throat pointedly and raised his eyebrows when she looked up at him, he was asking if she was alright again.

She looked back to the room, "I've gotta check out the water console." She said with a sigh and rubbed her eyes with a thumb and forefinger, the dark circles under her eyes prominent.

He chuckled, "You're dead on your feet, sis."

"Yeah, but I've got stuff I gotta do, I said I would help." He folded his arms and frowned at her disapprovingly. She looked up at him, once again avoiding his eyes, "I'll get some rest when I finish, I swear." She said as she handed him the key to the unit before walking off to inspect the problem console, not giving him a chance to argue.

Roland was talking to a man when Amanda strode past him and stopped near a wall with tanks and a console. She bent and pulled off a panel in the back of the console with a 'snap'. He looked back to the man, who left, before looking back to her. "What is that?"

She jumped at his voice, turning to face him, "It's a water purification unit, someone did something to the console."

He walked over, now interested, "You know how to fix it?"

She looked away and back to the computer, "There was one like this where I lived, on Menoetius. It's not that different, probably just needs a few parts." She replied quietly as she stuck half of her arm in the box, craning her neck to see inside. "Yeah, just like I thought, they burnt out the circuit here. Good thing it's a pretty universal part." She murmured.

"Yeah? Where'd you learn this stuff? That's pretty impressive."

Her face flushed when she looked back up at him, "I learned a lot of it on my own, I've always had a knack for it." She said as she pulled her arm out carefully, putting the panel loosely back on.

"Where you gonna find a part like that?" He asked. She rubbed her hands together and seemed to consider this, "I think there might be some outside the walls. . .I never really got a chance to see."

"Is that what happened?"

She feigned confusion and frowned as she stood up, "What?"

"Is that what happened to you before we found you? Is that what you were doing in that camp?"

Her face paled and jaw stiffened and she eyed him with irritation, "Not talking about it." She snapped in a low voice and she turned on her heel and walked off, toward her unit. Roland rubbed the back of his head, probably regretting asking such a stupid question.

"Hey Brick?"

"What?"

She looked to see him under an un-walled shelter, kneeling and inspecting something. She jogged over, "I need your help and I can't go out there alone."

He didn't look up from turning over a box when he spoke, "Out where?"

She didn't look at him as she wrung her hands, suddenly nervous, ". . .Outside the walls. I. . . I . . .-"

He suddenly looked up and over at her, "Hey, hey, don't worry 'bout it, I got your back." He said as he made his way around the pile he was looking over and suddenly picked her up in a hug.

She had been at it for hours, recruiting Brick as a bodyguard to help outside the walls while she rummaged in piles of would-be junk. She returned with an armful of potential parts, carefully piling them next to the computer. Brick followed a short way before walking off.

"That should do it. . ." Amanda turned around to see a small crowd forming. She blinked and nervously replaced the panel, snapping it in place. The lights flickered and died. Her shoulders slumped slightly with disappointment. She gasped in surprise when the lights blipped on and the interface glimmered to life, steadily glowing. She grinned and ran a diagnostic in the programming, finding that it was in need of a few updates but nothing more, she had fixed the main problem by replacing the damaged circuit and some wiring. She pressed a series of buttons to redirect the water flow. "You'll need to let the water run for about ten minutes because it might be a bit stagnant." She said, turning to the small crowd consisting of mostly men. She watched them uneasily as they walked off.

She went over to Scooter's garage, "Oh hey man, you fix the water?" She nodded and grinned. He mirrored her grin, "Oh nice goin', Gidget." She smiled at the pet name he gave her, "Ain't much that happen'd here while you were gone, didn't miss much a-a-an' you look like shit." He said, adding the last part as an afterthought. She chuckled and replied with mild sarcasm, "Thanks Scooter."

"You gettin' any sleep?"

"Truth be told, no, I haven't slept in about a day." She chuckled but inwardly winced at the thought, remembering how long the days were here.

"Shit, girl! Go get some sleep! Ain't no one need nothin' right now." He told her with a commanding wave, shooing her.

She looked at him, ". . . You sure?"

He laughed, "Yeah, man, they can wait if they need somethin'. Get on outta here." She chuckled and shook her head before walking off.

"Oh hey, wait a minute, you ever hear from brother a' yours?" She stopped and looked back, jabbing a thumb over her shoulder,

"Yeah, that was that was him behind me when I got here."

"You serious? _Damn_." He said, shaking his head, not believing such a mountain of a man could be _any_one's brother.

Mordecai seated himself on the rooftop of her unit and was murmuring quietly to his bird, he gave Amanda a nod in greeting when he saw her. She opened the door and ran smack into Brick with a startled yelp. He grabbed her arm to keep her from falling back. She righted herself before he spoke up and let go of her, "Where you been?"

She gave him a questioning look, "Fixing the water console and I was just talkin' to Scooter."

He frowned, "You an' him a thing now or somethin'?"

She looked shocked and almost disgusted, "What? _Scooter_? No, no, no. I hardly know anyone here, Brick. I'm not seeing anyone, really." He studied her, his expression suspicious. He would flay anyone she was seeing within an inch of their life if they hurt her. He was obviously _extremely _protective of her. There was a male snicker from somewhere above them. He look up at the metal ceiling, "Hey, Mordy! Grow up." He snapped, feigning anger.

"Soon as you do, I will." He shot back, a grin in his voice.

He shook his head and stepped aside, nodding for her to go in. She went inside and headed to the bathroom. He knocked on the frame of the ajar door, hearing her sigh and the water running, "You decent?" An amused 'hah' came from her as he ducked his head in to see her with her arms folded and leaning against the nearby wall. She looked exhausted. He made a "tsk" noise, "Stalling, Mandy?" He lifted his arm and pointed under it.

She gave him a blank look before turning off the shower and walking under his arm. She absently reached back and carefully scratched at the edge of the scab on her back, it was itchy from healing as she stood in front of the creaky looking bedframe. She folded her arms restlessly as she sat in the edge of the be.

She looked up to see him standing a few feet away from her, watching her carefully, making sure she didn't leave. "Look, I'm fine-"

"Don't pull that shit with me, have you looked in the damn mirror?"

"But-"

"Nope. Mandy, what you scared of? No way in hell am I gonna let anyone hurt you anymore."

She gulped, "I know you won't, it's just that- I can't get the ones that already have out of my head, I see it all the time like I'm still there." She said with a shudder and hung her head.

He sighed in resignation, "Look, I gotta go do some stuff, I'll lock the door an' come check on you." She nodded and looked blankly at the floor.

He sighed again as he walked to stand in front of her. She looked up to see him with an exsasperated frown.

He kneeled to her level, "Hey, That shit up here-" He said as he pointed to his forehead, "Ain't gonna go away for a _long_ time, so do _me_ a favor an' try, yeah? Won't do anyone any good if you pass out or somethin'. ."

". . .Alright." She said before looking back down at the floor.

He put his hands on either side of her head and lifted it slightly to make her look at him, "Yeah?"

". .Yeah." She nodded with a swallow. He nodded in approval before straightening and heading back over to the door and looked back. She pulled up her legs and laid on her back. She rolled over and curled up in a ball, her back facing him as he left and locked the door with a _'click'_.


	7. Downtime

"Hey! Wake up! Mandy! _Amanda!"_ She almost fell off the bed with a shriek when she heard the loud, gravelly voice nearly shouting at her and something and shaking her shoulder. She blindly scrambled backwards until her back hit a wall as she gasped with wide eyes. She was trapped as she put her arms up defensively, her breathing heavy through her nostrils.

She whimpered as a giant, calloused hand was put on her arms and then another on her shoulder, gently. She cautiously lowered her arms to peek out to see her brother giving her a worried grimace. She looked around slowly, trying to register her surroundings, looking bewildered. She looked back to Brick, who was still holding her firmly in place. She swallowed and opened her mouth to say something, but nothing came out, her voice trapped somewhere in her chest.

"Hey, hey, calm down, you're alright." He told her, his voice strangely quiet and comforting.

"What-what happened? Where am I?" She stuttered with wide eyes and her breathing came in ragged breaths.

"You were cryin' again. Had to snap you out of it, sis."

She still looked bewildered, but a bit calmer than a few moments ago. "Wh- I was. . sleeping?" She asked.

He gave her a wierd look.

"All I remembered getting taken. . . I don't remember what happened or how I got here. ." She growled in aggravation as she slowly pulled her knees to her chest and buried her head behind her legs, trying to hide the hot tears of shame and anger that went silently down her face. She subconsciously cringed when felt the mattress bow as he sat down.

"Hey, c'mon."

She looked up suddenly, the blue in her eyes shining and rimmed by red, her eyebrows furrowed with frustration. He had is arm hovering behind her, as if asking to touch her, much less get her to come closer to him. She glanced at his arm behind her and then to his face. She rubbed her tears with her shoulder and slowly and reluctantly moved over to him, letting him pull her closer, against his side. She hugged her knees as she sat with him and gave a sigh before burying her face in his arm at her cheek.

"How hard is it just to get some fucking sleep?" She said suddenly, her voice muffled. He didn't say anything as he pulled her to his chest and moved to sit on the edge of the bed.

"I got you, you're a'right. ." He said quietly, his voice a familiar growl.

". . . How long was I asleep?" He had his arm around her as he moved before he replied distractedly, his breath warm on her nearly bare head, "I was gone a few hours before I came to check on you."

Her words seemed slurred when she spoke again, slumping her shoulders and leaning on him, her legs dangling over the side of his lap, "When do we have to leave. . .?"

He looked down at her, "After you get some sleep, you were only out for a couple of hours, Mandy."

She stiffened, "You. . . Don't have to stay with me, I know you've got stuff you gotta do." She said, her voice sounding small.

He paused before replying, ". . . I'm good here." She just sighed as her eyelids drooped and she tried to fight off sleep.

Lilith watched as the other girl in their group walked up to her brother with what looked like shields on the back of her hands. She frowned and straightened on her seat on a crate about fifteen feet away, absently waving off a man who tried to approach her, "Go away." She said bluntly, not looking at him, knowing he would probably try to 'woo' her. The man slumped his shoulders and hung his head dejectedly, turning to walk away.

Brick slowly looked down and over at the girl, seeming to almost not take his eyes off of the machine inventory display. "Hey. You get any sleep?" She nodded, the side of her hand over her smile, snickering. He frowned, "What?"

"Nothin'. You just look like you're window shopping." She teased, wrinkling her nose. Lilith couldn't see his expression and blinked with a slight frown when he suddenly swept her up in a bear hug with a growling chuckle. Amanda half yelped, half laughed in surprise. He sighed contently and held her for a minute before letting her down.

"Anything good in that?" She asked as she smoothed her hair, or she would have she had any, only running a hand over her stubbly head.

He turned back to the machine, seeming to contemplate. "Not really."

"Well, hey, check it out." She looked like a kid showing off something to impress her big brother as held up her hands, the round, flat objects on her hands glimmering in the daylight.

"Whoa, the hell are those?" He said, almost taking a step back.

"What I've been workin' on with the shields you found for me."

He looked at her suspiciously, "What d'they do?"

"Well, I need to test em' out." She tried putting her fists knuckle to knuckle, the blue energy springing up immediately, preventing them from meeting. Lilith raised an eyebrow at the strange contraptions. The girl grinned at his reaction before speaking, looking over her gloves, obviously proud of them. "I'm gonna go out on a limb and say I can punt people if they get too close and it ain't gonna be pretty." She clenched a fist, the rounded back flashing suddenly in response.

He looked at her, his side profile wary, "What'd you have in mind?"

She nodded in the direction of the gate, "Cythids first, then probably bandits."

"You sure these things work?"

She shrugged, "Guess we'll find out."

"Hmm. . ." Lilith said to herself, slowly following them out, interested to see if this girl could make something useful. She perched herself on a beam about ten feet up near the main wall of the town, watching as the siblings approached a Cythid den, the ground rumbling as they got closer.

"All right, here we go!" Amanda said, dancing on the balls of her heels before she swung at the huge insect. There was a small shockwave and an electric 'pop' as the modified shield connected with the bug.

The siren couldn't help snickering as the girl shrieked in surprise and was flung backward from the impact, her brother yelling and diving to catch her, sending them both sprawling about ten feet into a junk pile. Lilith craned her neck to peer at the pile they were excavating themselves from,

Amanda sounded like a kid at Christmas, "They _work_! They actually _work_!" She almost squealed gleefully, ignoring the dirty look she got from her brother.

"How is that _'working'_?" He growled incredulously, brushing himself off before pulling her out of the pile by the hand, lifting her off of the ground with a single arm.

She whipped to him when her feet touched the ground, her blue eyes wide with excitement as she looked up at him, "I reversed to polarity to make an inverse shield!"

He looked down at her blankly, "English?"

She continued impatiently, "I can hit people and they go flying."

He frowned, unconvinced, "Uh huh, _right_. What about _you_ going flying?" He said, waving a hand for emphasis.

She waved a hand dismissively, "Oh, I can fix that, I just have to recalibrate the tension on the coils near the main matrix." She said, seating herself on a closed dumpster.

"Okay, let's try again, they should do what I want now." She said as she hopped off her seat and strode over to another insect den. Lilith raised her eyebrows as Amanda's fist hit the thin carapace of the Cythid and it exploded, this time the only recoil was her sliding back about a foot on her heels.

Amanda pumped a fist in the air happily, "Yes!" The man just shook his head and rolled his eyes. The girl suddenly looked down at the gloves, studying them intently, "Hm." She said thoughtfully.

"What now?" He groaned.

"I almost forgot that these are shields. I have to wait for them to recharge if I want to hit something else. . .Good thing they act independently. . ."

Lilith made her way down when she saw them coming back, walking side by side, Brick wearing the same stony expression he always had, Amanda almost mirroring it.

"Whoa. . .They _do_ look alike. That's just freaky. . ." She said under her breath before she casually walked over to them, "Got yourself a new toy hmm, _Mandy_?"

The girl stopped and looked down at her gloved hands, "Y-yeah. Made them myself." She said, looking back up. Lilith ignored the irritated look she got from the girl's towering brother as she gave the her a mischievous smile.

"Maybe I can show you a few tricks, huh? Just us girls." She said with a wink. Amanda flushed a bit before nodding shyly. Lilith caught Brick rolling his eyes before heading back in.

She gestured to her to go further in the town, "We've got a bit of downtime before we have to move out. Tell me about yourself and maybe I'll tell you a bit about me." Amanda blinked again, glancing over at Brick's back before he turned a corner.

"Not much to tell about me. Grew up on Menoetius in the city Epithemeus, kind of a poor neighborhood."

Lilith jerked a thumb over her shoulder as she sat down on a crate near a vacant building, pointing commandingly for the other woman to sit on the one in front of her, "What about him?"

"The same, he almost raised me I guess you could say." She said as she complied and sat.

The siren didn't seem satisfied with that answer, "That's it?"

She frowned, "What do you mean, 'that's it'?"

"You guys don't have different parents or something, do you?"

Amanda blanched, "No. Same parents. Look, if you really want to know, we're fifteen years apart, that's probably why we don't really look alike."

"Fifteen? Wow."

Amanda scratched the back of her head and looked at the other woman, "What about you? Have you always been a siren?"

She was inspecting her nails closely, "As long as I can remember, yeah. So, you guys are close, huh?"

Amanda got the feeling she was just being nosy, but decided to indulge her anyway, "Yeah, I guess, I mean it's been seven years since I've actually seen him in person."

The siren almost parroted her reply from before, "Seven? Wow. Also, there isn't much 'I guess' about it, Mandy. I'm surprised he's letting you out of his sight."

". . .Really?"

"Yeah, really." She said simply, not looking up from her nails. "I suppose you _also_ don't notice that you're the only one he talks to. I mean, I don't know a thing about him, but. ."

". . .But what?"

"He doesn't strike me as the 'caring' type. He must have a soft spot for you, somewhere in all that muscle."

The girl was looking down at the dusty ground when Lilith looked up from her cuticles, "Mandy, that's a _good_ thing. Don't look so disappointed. You're lucky to have someone that cares about you." She said with a chuckle.

Amanda looked at her, "You don't?" For some reason Lilith looked surprised at her question.

She sniffed, uncrossing and crossing her legs and tossing her hair, "Oh, I don't need anyone." The younger girl just regarded her for a moment before shrugging, not wanting to argue.

"So, how old are you?" She looked a little nervous from all this prodding Lilith was doing, "Twenty-one."

"So that would make him. . .Thirty-six, yeah?"

"Uh, yeah, I suppose. Look, I have to get with Pierce and Scooter about what needs fixing." She said uncomfortably, scratching her stubbly head again, her hand stopping gingerly at one of the healing slashes.

"Being too nosy, am I?" She teased, Amanda just cleared her throat as she rose from her seat. Lilith didn't look up, "We'll chat more later, hm?" She didn't reply as she walked off.


	8. Krom's Canyon

The next clue led led them to make to make the trek to Patrica Tannis, a lone scientist located in the Rust Commons West. The group stood at the entrance to the shallow canyon that led to the to her. "I heard there are a _ton_ of Spiderants here for some reason." Amanda said thoughtfully, peering through the rocky entrance, spotting a towering, obelisk-like structure. A quiet and interested 'ooh' came from her. "I think the Vault has those same kind of symbols, it's alien, that's for sure." She mused, still eyeing them from the distance.

"A'right, let's get goin', we ain't got all day!" Brick suddenly boomed, tugging his sister along. The rest looked at eachother, Roland shrugged and followed them in as he reloaded. Mordecai was the last to go in, looking eagerly through the scope of his sniper rifle.

They trudged down the stony steps under the runic, rocky arches, making their way to the tiny hut atop a dusty hill.

By the time they left the hut, everyone was annoyed, the woman talked to them like they were children, idiots or just incompetent. They were supposed to retrieve one of the Vault pieces from a man named 'Crazy Earl'. He lived in a junkyard, named 'Crazy Earl's Scrapyard. He also supposedly had several pairs of her underwear, for some reason.

"What'chu want?" He yelled from the slot in his heavy metal door. "You went an' blew up my barricade! Now I gotta put it back up!"

"Wouldn't have that problem if you didn't have _gas_ tanks in front of it." Mordecai muttered sarcastically.

"The hell you want?" He demanded, not hearing or ignoring the sniper.

"You got a Vault key that Tannis needs." Roland told him.

There was a pause, "Ohhh, so now that Tannis bitch wants that alien hunk o' junk, eh? And you're her little helper? Bah! And they call _me_ 'crazy'! What have you done for me, besides blow a hole in my back fence?! Tell me that!" He spat, verbally and literally, spraying Roland with spittle.

The former soldier wiped his face, disgusted, about to say something when the old man spoke up, "You want a favor from me? Well, pick my nose and I'll pick yours, as the saying goes. I got trespassers crawlin' all over my property here. They got their eye on my treasure. You get out there and start exterminatin' interlopers. Then we'll see about whatever it was you wanted."

Two figures in their small group hung back, "Don't know that I want you in there, Mandy." Brick said to his sister, grabbing hold of her arm, stopping her from continuing through the Skag infested junkyard to get to where the 'trespassers' were.

She had her rifle in her hands, looking up at him, "I know you don't but I gotta do _something_. Would you rather have me in New Haven?" He was about to say something when she held up a hand, "Don't answer that, because I ain't goin' back." She said, her voice stubborn."Hey look, you're stuck with me. I'm not leaving you, not again." She continued, pointing a finger up at him defiantly as he looked down at her with a scowl. Anyone else who talked to him like this was likely to get the life choked out of them, but not her. She seemed to bring something softer out of him, being his only sister. They stared eachother down, he with an irritated scowl and her with an adamant, almost pout.

He finally threw his head back with a groan, defeated, "Fine, just keep your head down." He growled, pulling out his own rifle and leading the way through the body strewn junk-valley.

The 'interlopers' turned out to be a _lot_ of bandits and by the time they were done killing, the sun already set as they made their way back to the old man. "What the hell do you want?! You better not be taking any of my stuff."

"The bandits are gone-"

"You killed all the trespassers? I have no idea what you're talking about. I don't see any trespassers."

Roland took a moment before lookin incredulously at his squadmates, who shrugged, annoyed. "One more thing, I'm all out of booze. You wanna get my alien whatsit? You're gonna go pick up a new supply from the bandits out at Treacher's Landing. They brew a mean moonshine out there. Don't know what's in it, but who cares? Those bandits don't part with it willingly, of course. That's why you're going, and not me!"

Brick was the first to respond, his irritation at its limit, "What the hell you talkin' about?!"

"We were just _in_ that fuckin' hellhole!"Mordecai snapped in agreement. Crazy Earl promptly slid the peephole slot shut, ignoring them. Lilith groaned before heading back to where they where, past where they slaughtered the bandits, to Treachers Landing.

They found the Moonshine alright, along with many more bandits.

"Oooh, come to me, my sweets!" Earl said giddily as he greedily reached through an unlocked pet door at the bottom of his thick, metal door. The bottles of homemade booze was reluctantly handed over.

"The Vault Key, Earl." Roland said with another clang on the door. "You want my alien doo-dad? It was stolen from me by one tough-ass bandit, a bastard by the name of Krom." He replied, popping off a liquor lid.

They all looked at each other, frowns creasing their faces in frustration as he continued.

"If you're stupid enough to take him on, you'll find him northeast, in Krom's Canyon. Just follow the river north and past Flood Lock. If you get it back from him, you and that Tannis woman do whatever you want with it. I'm done with it." And with that, he closed the slot and retreated into his dingy hut.

". .I guess we're goin' to Krom's Canyon."

Someone lobbed a grenade among the yelling and gunfire. Out of the corner of his eye, Brick saw a huge bandit making a beeline for Amanda, shotgun in his hands. She noticed and whipped to him, shooting at his huge torso. He growled when she popped his shield, tossing his gun and pounding his fists together, "Stupid bitch! _Bring it!"_ He shouted before barreling toward her.

To her brother's and the criminal's suprise, the young woman shrieked angrily and dashed at him, her modded fists raised. Brick was about to shout to her until her fist connected with the huge, masked bandit's face, cracking his goggles. There was a split second passed before he was sent flying off the nearby ledge, a trail of blue energy residue streaming behind him.

"_Whoo!_ Give em' _hell_, Mandy!" Birck roared proudly to his sister over the shouting, unbelieving. She only had a second to collect herself as she vaulted over a short stack of crates near the canyon wall and group of huts. None of them could believe how many criminals that came streaming from the tiny huts, where the hell they kept coming from.

A shrill cry rang out, "Hey! Somethin's got your sister, Brick!" Someone shouted,

"Get _off _me you son of a bitch!" She screamed angrily, another huge bandit had his massive, muscled arm wrapped around her torso and arms, pinning her to his shirtless chest. She kicked, flailed, and bit but he had a deathgrip on her.

"Ooh! Looky what I found here!" He said gleefully in a gravelly voice, tauntingly singy-songy, sticking his tongue out tauntingly at Brick. The other bandits noticed and redoubled their efforts against them, blocking them off from her. "Ol' Krom'll be happy to see you." He said giddily, weaving around the bandits. Even the sharpshooter, Mordecai couldn't get a lock on the huge bandit, his spot getting swarmed with barrages of bullets.

"Hey boss, look what I found." The huge criminal said proudly as he presented his hostage to the bandit lord. The leader was cackling as he shot from the turret mounted on the edge of the platform, he looked over and did a double take at the young woman.

"Take over!" he barked to a nearby bandit. He hopped off and sauntered over lazily, "Well, well, well, what have we here? A rare gem in these parts." He drawled, studying her like a piece of meat. She bit down, nearly causing the large man to drop her, he growled and looked as though he wanted to chuck her off the cliff.

_"Fuck off!"_ she yelled with a glare, baring her teeth like an animal.

He smiled behind the surgeon-like mask he was wearing, "My, my, aren't we mouthy! You're gonna like it here, girly, right up here with me. Just as soon as we deal with those mercs down there, we can have some _quality_ time."

She faltered when she heard the last part, swallowing nervously, seeing the familiar crease by his eyes, a sadistic grin behind the mask. "Oh, not so tough, are we?" He said mockingly with a tilt of his head. "I got some cuffs in that chest, Bobby." He told the other bandit nearby, gesturing to said chest. Her furious scream echoed in the canyon. "I think we got some tape nearby, Jake? If you would?" He said to another bandit.

"Forget it! I hope I'm there when he tears yo-" She shouted before they slapped a piece of tape over her.

He turned to the one responsible for capturing his new prisoner, "Good goin', son! What's your name?"

"Lenny, sir." He replied, not bothering to suppress the grin barely showing behind his dustmask and goggles.

"Well, let's make sure Lenny here gets the five star treatment!" He shouted happily as he pulled out a pistol repeater. She shrieked through the tape and ducked before the massive man was shot in the head, splattering her and the other bandits nearby with grey matter, blood and bone pieces. Her eyes widened afterward and she shook her head to try get some of the warm mush off the back of her head.

An explosion went off on the turret with a scream from the bandit that was piloting it, smoke billowing from the pile of wreckage. "Get em'! Get em'!" The leader shouted, running behind a crate for cover. "There's more than one way to skin a merc!"

She was in the middle of yanking at the chains when they stormed up the ramps, Lilith first. She put a finger up to her lips playfully before entering phasewalk and hitting Krom with an open-palm blow, detonating another explosion when she re-entered the dimension. He yelled and dove over, rolling, trying to put out the fire. Brick mounted the ramp and looked to his sister and then over at the bandit leader. He growled menacingly and walked toward Krom, who was in the middle of swearing and smacking at his jamming gun. Lilith moved aside with a smirk as if to say, 'he's all yours'. Roland lowered his rifle when he saw Amanda and walked over to rip the tape off her mouth.

_"Godammit!"_ She hissed.

"Sorry." He told her as he went behind her and began working on the cuffs on her wrists and ankles. "They hurt you?"

"No, I'm fine." She said distractedly, watching to see what the Berserker would do to the criminal. He grabbed the man by the neck easily with one hand, ignoring his protests as he walked with him to the ledge. She watched with satisfaction as her brother chucked him off the cliff with a maniacal grin, the outlaw's screams echoing and fading on the way down. Roland managed to undo the cuffs with a _'click'_.

She rubbed her wrists gingerly, the almost healed scabs bleeding again from the metal cuffs. "Thanks, Roland." She said as she got up. He nodded with a smile before reloading his gun.

"Let's get the hell out of here." Amanda said and looked over the ledge to see Krom's broken body at the bottom. She spat, hoping to hit him as she glared down. They made their way back through the zigzagging bridges and tunnels, fighting back more spiderants that surfaced.

She stumbled and tripped with a yelp. She got to her feet, clutching at her side. Brick looked back, signalling for his teammates to go on ahead before walking over to her. "You a'right?"

She swallowed and gave her brother a shaky smile, "Fine, I'm fine, it's nothing." He gave her a frown and kneeled, taking her hand off and lifting her shirt to see the seeping wound below her ribcage, ignoring her weak protests.

"Shit, don't lie to me. . ." He said, pressing on it. She hissed with pain, grimacing. "You're lucky it went through all th'way." He murmured, lifting up the back of her shirt some to see the exit wound.

"We gotta get out of here, I'll be fine, really, Brick." She wiped the sweat from her clammy forehead and batted away his hand. He rolled his eyes as he stood, He muttered something, taking her arm and helping her out of the canyon.

"I'll be up in a minute, you guys go on ahead." Amanda said to her teammates when the vehicle barely slowed to a stop. She clambered out of the turret of the runner and made a beeline to the health vending machine on the catch-a-ride station outside the winding canyon-like path to Tannis.

She yelped and nearly jumped out of her skin, dropping the medkit in her hands when a hand was put on her shoulder, near her neck. She stood in the shadow of her brother, looking up to see him eyeing her with a raised eyebrow. "I thought you went ahead." She said breathlessly, gathering up the supplies.

"Stuck with each other, 'member?" He said incriminatingly and put a hand to her cheek, where she got clipped with a bullet, cringing when his finger brushed the raw wound. "Well, now we'll have matching scars."

She said as he kneeled to examine the gunshot wound again, "Gotta patch this sucker up. . . "

"I'll have to get fixed up at Zed's because none of these have the right stuff." She said as she slapped on a piece of gauze and then a piece of tape before stabbing an insta-health vial near both.

He scowled as he stood, "That guy's a fuckin' quack."

"He's also the closest thing to a doctor I'm gonna get." She pointed out.

"I get to beat the shit out of him if he hurts you, got it?"

She grinned, "Oh, I know."


	9. Dr Zed's Clinic

**Sorry for the delay! I hope you all enjoy it!**

Amanda nervously peered through the doorway to Dr. Zed's clinic, her face pale and clammy from her wound, it was starting to burn again, an infection quickly developing from the dust and trashy enviroment of Pandora. A wall of warmth pressed on her back as Brick leaned over her to look around the ratty clinic, "Need me in there?" She looked straight up at her brother, only seeing his chin as he stood over her.

"I got it." She replied with a swallow, putting a hand to her wounded abdomen.

"Dr. Zed?" She asked almost timidly, spotting the figure behind a desk, standing.

"Yeah? Who wants to know?"

"Need you to patch me up, I got the creds for it." She replied, her voice stronger as she slowly made her way in. The man on the other side of the desk wore a surgeon's mask and bloody labcoat with the sleeves rolled up, revealing hairy arms. He did a double take from his paperwork at her as she hobbled in. She could have sworn his eyes lit up when he saw her injured and she gave him a suspicious frown.

"Oh! Come on in, Missy." He said with a wave as he walked over and pushed a gurney to near a console. He patted the bed, "Park it here and let me take a look." She shot a glance over at the door to see Brick leaning by the door, watching carefully and ready to beat this guy to a pulp if he made a wrong move. He gave her a nod to go over. She slowly walked over and seated herself on the bed, shielding her eyes when Zed pulled down a lamp, almost blinding her.

He rubbed his gloved hands together happily, "Where'd you get shot?" She lifted a bloody hand from her side and peeled back her shirt to reveal the equally bloody gauze.

"Hmmm. . ." He said, leaning in closer to inspect before he unexpectedly tore off the makeshift bandage. She yelped in pain and gave him a dirty look as he turned and yelled for his Claptrap assistant. A low growl came from the other side of the room, a warning. "Medbot! I need you in here!" The doctor shouted, not hearing or ignoring him.

The Claptrap came rolling in, "Yes Dr. Zed? Oh! A patient!" The little robot said, a little too cheerfully. "Yeah, yeah, get me my tray." The doctor said dismissively as he looked over her wound, poking and prodding. She grimaced and gave the man another irritated look. He ignored her protests as the robot brought the clattering tray over, it was lined with tools, disinfectant and antibiotics. There was an absence of anesthetics, this was going to hurt.

"Lay back for me, Hon." He said as he turned to look over the tray, a hand on his masked his chin, uttering a low and thoughtful 'Hmm' as he inspected the tools. She swallowed and lay back, pulling her legs up on the bed.

"This might sting, just a little." He said at almost the same time he poured disinfectant over the fleshy hole. She arched her back slightly, a whimpering growl coming through her teeth in pain.

She panted with clenched teeth, her fingers gripping the edge of the bed as he dabbed a bit roughly with a cloth, not seeming to notice her pain. He started humming tunelessly as he methodically cleaned it. He slapped on a piece of gauze and then a piece of tape. "Alrighty then, it looks like it went through the other side, gonna have you flip over." She wiped her sweaty lip and took a breath before rolling carefully onto her stomach, having to support herself on her elbows, her upper 'cushioning' getting in the way of being able to lie flat.

She hung her head in pain when he cleaned the other side, gritting her teeth, another growl rolling from her throat as sweat dripped onto the bed from her face, her toes curling in her boots. "Lucky you came here, was starting to get infected." He said too happily and started whistling nonchalantly as he practically seemed to scrub at the already irritated hole before he slapped another bandage on before injecting her with antibiotics.

"There you go, Missy. That'll be four hundred creds, you can pay it to my Claptrap there." He said as she rolled off of the bed, teetering on her feet, steadying herself on the nearby wall. She just grunted in affirmation as she steadied herself, passing her cred card over the Claptrap's holo eye.

"Payment received! Thank you for choosing Dr. Zed's Clinic!" She gave the robot a weird look before heading to the door.

She looked even more pale in the daylight. She stumbled, getting caught by an arm by her brother, "Whoa! Watch it!" He said, pulling her up, noticing with narrowed eyes that she was looking a little more limp.

"I'm alright, I'm alright. . ." She said dismissively, waving him off and trying to straighten and walk on her own, before she wobbled and fell over.

"Dammit. ." She said in a low growl before she almost hit the ground.

He caught her, "Shit, Mandy! Th' hell that bastard do to you?" He swept her up in one, smooth movement, his arms under her knees and back. Her head lolled back and she struggled to keep her eyes open, slurring something unintelligeble.

Brick stepped through the doorway of the clinic, "The hell you do to her?!" He demanded from the older man, who almost jumped out of his skin where he stood at his desk.

"What the hell is the problem?" He yelped irately at the younger, bulkier man.

"She can't even walk!" He growled angrily.

Zed frowned and shook his head and pointed to a bed, "Put her there, what'd you do? Medbot! Where'd you go? Get back in here!" He glared at the doctor but complied and carefully laid her back on the gurney.

"She been drinkin'? She's as dehydrated as dried up waterin' hole." The doctor said, prying open her eyelids with a thumb and forefinger, shining a light in her eyes. "Don't look like she's been eating either." He continued as he took her pulse at a wrist before pulling her shirt up to her ribcage and tapping on her belly, listening to the hollow 'thump'. With a "Hmmm. ." he turned to the medbot and did a double take at her as her eyes rolled back, her eyelids drooping. "No, no, she's gotta stay awake, wake her up." He said as he rummaged for something.

The huge man shook his sister gently,"Mandy! Amanda, you gotta wake up." He looked up at the masked man, his expression a worried glare, "What'll happen if she don't wake up?"

"That's just it, she might not wake up, not necessarily die, maybe go into a coma." He said almost casually as he flicked a syringe with a finger before injecting it into her arm and feeding in an IV tube, whistling again.

"Shit." He said in a low voice, cupping her face with a hand, her eyes blearily trying to focus on him. "Nng. . .so tired. . ." She slurred, her head lolling over again and eyelids closing before he tapped at her face.

"Baby, c'mon, you gotta wake up." He said, almost pleading with her. She twitched at the touch, blinking trying to focus again.

"What's goin' on? Where the hell is everyone?" Mordecai's voice came through the doorway, he sounded irritated. "The fuck? What's goin' on? I thought we were headin' out!"

The Claptrap was the first to cheerfully explain, "The patient is severely dehydrated and seems to be suffering from anemia!"

There was a frown in the sniper's voice as he looked from the robot and back to his teammate, "I thought she just got shot."

"Yeah, I thought so too." Brick growled bitterly, trying to keep her awake. "Jesus, Amanda, c'mon."

Zed gave the IV bag a squeeze from it's stand, watching carefully. Mordecai shrugged with an uninterested grunt and walked out, probably figuring if she did die, she would regenerate at the New-U station.

"Yeah, there we go." Zed said, satisfied at seeing her open her eyes focus and open a litte more. "Guess getting shot at didn't help." He said with a chuckle.

She looked bewildered when she finally sat up and took everything in around her. "What? What happened?"

"Almost went into a coma, that's what." Zed said from behind his desk, not looking up.

"God_damm_it, Mandy, why didn't you say nothin'?" Her brother said as he dragged a palm down his face and looked at her incriminatingly.

"And say what? 'Hey Brick, I feel like shit.' I wasn't about to complain and slow everyone down." She replied and shook her head, doing a double take at the needle at her arm and moving to pull it out only to get her wrist snatched in a huge hand.

"Yeah, _somethin'_ like that would'a been nice." He told her as he gave her a warning look.

She frowned and pulled her hand away, looking over at Zed, "So what, can I go now?"

He made a snorting noise, "Sure, go ahead. Gonna fall over again, but yeah, knock yourself out." She made a face and looked back over at Brick.

"I'll be fine here, do what you gotta do." She said quietly, leaning back with a weary sigh. He folded his arms, giving her an unconvinced scowl.

"I won't leave, I'll 'be good'." She said, almost flopping back on the hard bed. Her expression softened as she laid back, a blank look crossing her face before she swallowed, flicking her sight over to him as he narrowed his eyes at her.

"Better not go anywhere. I _swear, _Mandy." He muttered before turning and heading out, stopping at the door to look back at her. She made a shooing motion with her hand, sticking her tongue out at him. He rolled his eyes and walked out.

She sighed and laid there for a few more minutes before saying anything, listening to Zed scribble on something at his desk. "Hey Doc, you got anything for sleep?"

"Depends, for you or someone else?"

". . .For me. What if it was for someone else?"

"Nevermind that." He said as he turned to look around in a cabinet, bottles clinking noisily. "Here we go, this'll knock you right out. The weakest sedative I've got."

She blinked at him, not sure she wanted to be 'knocked out' by medication. "You got anything else. . .?"

"Nope, it's either this or the other stuff, take your pick."

She pursed her lips, ". . .I think I'll take my chances, how much longer do I have to be here?"

He scoffed, "Till I say. Couple more hours, so sit tight, it's gonna be a while, little lady."

She stifled the urge to groan and roll her eyes, only laying back down and staring up at the ceiling.

Brick looked back at his sister as she laid on the gurney, shooting her a commanding glare, earning a dismissive wave and playful poke of her tongue. He rolled his eyes and shook his head before walking out. That was the way it always was with her, never saying a word until she collapsed in a dehydrated heap, just like their mother. He was more than happy to help her, but it didn't help _him_ any that she never said anything.

Those fuckers probably did whatever the hell they wanted with her after they took her; drugging her up, starving her, and God knows what else. If only he'd known it was her in that hut, he would have granted them a _much_ slower and more painful death.

He stepped out into the sun and cracked his neck, satisfied at the loud 'pop' it always gave. Might as well tank up on ammo and medkits while they were here. He headed to the one out of the two gun vending machines outside of Markus' shop, making a face at the more expensive but weak guns that it had. Couldn't get any good guns in this dump, only good place was in the bandit camps, the way they hoarded them. He wondered if he could make a run and raid a camp in a couple of hours, didn't need any help from the others and _might_ get a couple of guns out of the deal. He shook his head, probably not.

It dawned on him that she probably hadn't been sleeping, eating or _anything_ lately and now that he thought of it; even though it's been a few years, she _has _been pretty clingy to him, something she seemed to grow out of just before he left.

Damn, all this thinking was annoying, things couldn't be simple anymore, could they? He didn't know anything about helping her, except just to be there but it was fucking frustrating that he couldn't do anything to actually _help_. She was probably hurting more in her head than that huge scab on her back did. Every time she cringed or jumped in surprise (which seemed like all the time), she looked like a beaten dog, not trusting anyone anymore.

**Alright folks, I know this one isn't very 'action packed', but I'm pretty happy with how it turned out. **


	10. Strained

The room is spinning as I dazedly look around the small, metal room, dimly lit by a light hanging bare on the ceiling, the bulb blinding. I shield my eyes with the back of my hand when it suddenly swings, the pull chain clinking noisily. When I look back, I see a figure, bare-chested with huge, broad shoulders and equally huge, muscled arms. He was barefoot with sloppy, cloth pants held up with a rope.

My breath shortens and I try to gulp the lump in my throat at this memory, I always know what happens and I am always helpless. I look down at my own, thin body as if to verify, my tattered and ratty grey bra barely hung on my shoulders and breasts, my ribs visible behind delicate, malnourished skin. I look further down to my legs as they wore the dull, brown leather pants I was so familiar with but they no longer clung to my skin because my legs were too thin to reach the insides, my bare feet dirty.

I hear movement, I look up to see the huge man take a step to me, his face now lit by the naked bulb hanging above. Another memory flashes in my head, of him tossing me onto the bed and climbing over me with a hungry grinand my inability to do anything about it.

I gasp and stiffen when I see the disturbingly memorable scar that trails across his left eye, over the bridge of his nose and ending at his right cheek and square jawline. He's looking at me dark eyes, they gleam greedily in the bright light, casting an eerie shadow over his features, his lips curved up in a cruel smile, like a predator watching his prey.

I try to take a step back, but I'm stopped by the cold, metal wall behind me. I can't stop the whimper that comes from me and put my hands up defensively as he suddenly closes the space between us, my palms on his dense, bare chest, mashed between mine. He towers over me, putting his huge forearms flat on the wall with a _'thunk' _on either side me me, effectively pinning me in place. I can't bear to see his face. My breathing is even more panicked, like a suffocating fish out of water, the paralyzing fear pumping in my chest and working its way up my throat. I desperately look away but I can't see anything beyond this wall of flesh, my eyes rolling wildly. I hear the familiar, pleased growl in his throat, his favorite game.

"Oh come on. . .Don't be like that. ." He hisses with a sadistic grin in his voice, slowly leaning his face next to mine, his breath on my cheek, it smells like blood. "Don't we always have a good time?" He continues, his teeth to my ear. I shut my eyes at tight as they will go, just get it over with. But he never does, always draws it out as long as it will go, disappointed when I pass out from exhaustion when he's done with me.

I can't say anything through my whimpering gasping, my fingers trembling, the rest of my body following suit. I turn my face away unconsciously, he loves it. Another gratified growl as he strokes my neck with his tongue, making me shudder and utter a choked yelp. He gives a low, satisfied chuckles and I try to ignore the lack of oxygen, but my head is spinning and I feel faint. His skin is clammy and scarred beneath my shaking fingers.

I can't move them and I feel his teeth gently tug at the skin on my neck, working his way down and across my left collarbone, dangerously to my midsection. His arms slide down slightly, his hands clamping tightly on my shoulders. Game over.

His voice suddenly changes, the grating, deepness easing to a smoother, familiar tone, "Is this better? Ma-a-a-a-ndy. . ." He wheedles in a low, singing voice, trying to get me to look at him. My eyes suddenly open wide, my mind is screaming,_ 'No, no, no, no. Go away! You're not real - you're not real - you're not real!'_ This memory taking a disturbing turn, it's not the same one. I know who it is and this can_not_, be real. Hyperventilating frantically, I finally and slowly do the stupidest thing possible, I look up to see his face and I scream, I scream to the top of my lungs.

"Goddammit, Mandy! Wake the hell _up!_" He's yelling at me, what's going on? My eyes snap open to see the same face. He's holding me up off of the ground by the shoulders with a glare, my feet dangling uselessly a foot off the floor. I can feel my eyes nearly pop out of my skull at this as I shriek and lash out, making him yell and drop me.

I scramble back, hitting a shelf, the area on my back throbbing from the sudden blow. "Nonononono!_Please_, don't hurt me!" I screech fearfully, cowering on my feet like a cornered animal.

"What the hell was that for? Jesus, Mandy!" I catch a glimpse of him with a hand to his face, a blinking of red between his fingers. I gulp for air, gasping like that dying fish, I can't look up, my eyes squeezed shut.

"_Amanda, look at me!"_ He barks at me, making me freeze abruptly and slowly obey, looking up, my chest still heaving, he's angry, and _worried_? He takes a step toward me and I feel the scarred, sweaty skin on my hands again and the metallic smell of blood warm on my cheek. I yelp with a whimper, pressing myself against the wall and looking away. I hear him stop and take a deep breath, "What _is _it? I'm doin' the best I can, cut me some fuckin' _slack_!" He snaps, the small amount of patience he had was already wearing thin.

The tightening of my chest isn't easing and it's infecting the rest of my body, stiffening me. "._Please_. .!" Is all I can plead as I slide down the wall to a crouch, desperately looking anywhere but to where he's standing, trying to scrunch myself up into a ball and disappear. My eyes start to sting and tears are working their way down my face, leaving hot trails. He is walking toward me again and there isn't anywhere for me to go. I clamp my eyes shut and breath through my nose, trying to disappear. _'I'm sorry, I'm so sorry. I know it's not you.'_

I can feel him standing over me, looking down at me. I'm trapped. I can't keep myself from shaking as he kneels. "Amanda, _please._" He used my whole name again, and said 'please' in a way that made me almost look at him, instead I open my eyes and lock them to the floor. I feel the panic stabbing in my collarbones like knives. _'I can't, I can't!'_

"You think I'm gonna _hurt_ you?" His voice is steady with a trace of frustration, I can feel his hand hovering somewhere near my face. I can't talk, my throat is full of glue and my teeth hurt from clenching them. "Mandy, I _can't_ hurt you." I know I look like a deer in the headlights, my eyes huge and terrified. I raise them from looking near his boot to his face, my head lowered like a guilty puppy. He had a look of utter confusion and worry.

"I can't say the same for you, look what you did!" He pointed to a neat grouping of slashes on the left side of his face, where my fingernails hooked themselves and dragged. I flinch at the sight and close my eyes and turned away again, another stream of tears going down my cheeks. I hurt him. "Why won't you look at me?" It sounded like he was willing himself to sound calm. My inner sister was quietly and meekly reminding me that this was my brother and this wasn't like him unless he was seriously worried, almost. . . scared? My hands are gripping the sides of my arms so hard they hurt, leaving red welts.

I slowly look back over at him, my eyes taking in the features of his face, the logical part of my brain warring with my fear, _'He's not the one who hurt you!'_ It screeches, trying to overpower my instinct to flee. I can't think and all I see terrifies me. I want to look away but my eyes trail down from his face and down to the middle of his chest. He notices and follows my eyes, looking down at his midsection with a frown.

"What-" He's interrupted by me suddenly but slowly reaching out with a shaking hand. It's not the same, he has that vest-like thing he always wears like it's stuck to him but all of the muscles pronounced just the same as if it wasn't there. My hand freezes right before it makes contact with the dense, scratchy fabric, my chest tightening again. My trembling fingers flex nervously before shakily placing my palm on his sternum. It's warm and my chest relaxes ever so slightly. I lift my eyes to look back up to him to see him giving me a confused frown. The tears are like a waterfall as I look back down to my hand, unblinking. Panic jumps its way back into my throat when his puts a huge hand over mine, obscuring it.

"It was just a dream, Mandy." He tells me quietly. I try to swallow the lump in my throat as his hands move to my shoulders to easily but gently lift me up. _'Was it just a dream?'_ I grip at my arms again when he stepped back. I lowered my head, hoping to hide, commanding my legs to stay put and not bolt for the door, the window, _anything_. I tentatively looked up to see him studying me with a confused and wary frown. My feelings quickly go from terrified to ashamed as I look back down to the floor.

"I-I'm sorry I hurt you. ." I softly say.

He sighs, "What the hell am I gonna to do with you?" He says, sounding exsaperated but also relieved. I can't answer, I'm still shaking, I'm still scared, and I _still _can't look him in the eyes. When will this shit stop happening? When will I be able to trust _anyone_ again? I close my eyes and more tears come streaming down. He quietly clears his throat. I slowly open them and look at him guiltily.

"You had one like that before?" He asked in a way that indicated that he felt awkward, probably getting the gist of what I was seeing in my mind. I swallowed and shook my head, trying to find my voice to answer him, "I. .I wasn't expecting it. . ." He moved to stand in front of me, not too close though, probably still wary of me. ". . .It started out as a bad memory I have, one of the worst. Th-the leader, m-maybe you saw him before you found me. . ."

"The big guy?"

"Yeah. . How did you know?"

"How you think?" He replied, as if it was obvious.

I cringe, my grip tightening on my arms almost painfully, ". . You . .You both have about the same build. ." I mumble embarrassedly. I probably said too much to begin with. If I told him, he probably might not even look at me the same. But it's been seven years since I've seen him in person though and I don't even really know how he sees me anymore. I mean, I've talked with him on vids and voice communicators over the years and I have to admit, it was a little awkward considering he's not that talkative to begin with. We would only give updates and I always felt he was never really telling me everything because he knew I would worry. But I was also alone for five years after Mom died and I thought it was a good idea to start something here. Looking back, it was probably a bad move.

I was snapped out of my thoughts when I heard him scratching the stubble on his head with a sigh. What if it happens again? What if I _do _finally go back to sleep, what if I end up hurting him again? I look up to see him with a hand over the side of his face, the side that I scratched. The blood seeping down his jaw was starting to dry. I winced, "Let me take a look at it. . ." I tell him, feeling stronger. He just looked at me. I cringed, I couldn't seem to help it. I swallowed another lump that formed in my throat. "I was the one who hurt you. Let me be the one to help you, at least. Please?"

He looked at me warily, his face was still the one in the nightmare and I had a hard time keeping his gaze without hearing the coaxing, mocking voice echo in my head. Before he could answer and _I_ could whimper pitifully at the damn memory, I turned to the inventory port at my hip and grabbed an insta-health vial. I pulled it out and handed it out to him. Still not being able to look at his face directly, my eyes settling somewhere on his left shoulder. I could see him watching me out in my peripheral before he gave in and took it from me, popping off the cap with a thumb and stabbing it into his neck, the side closest to the claw marks, his eyes not leaving my face. I raised my eyes and watched as the medicine reduced the reddening in the skin right before my eyes.

Without thinking, I reached up to touch the area on his face, he made a grab for my hand, snatching my wrist, making me yelp in surprise, the all too familiar panic resurfacing. "I-I just want to take a closer look." I finally said, trying not to let my voice waver. He frowned and let go. Mimicking my earlier actions, I tentatively touched his face. The swelling and redness went down around the ragged edges of the scratches. "It. .It should be fine." I said quietly as I pulled back my hand. He grabbed it again, making me gasp. Every action scared the shit out of me, I was so damn jumpy. He looked at me with that serious, stony look he always had. "W-what?" I said, clearing my throat, trying not to flinch.

"You should go back to sleep. We gotta move soon." He said, letting go.

I swallowed for the millionth time, "Okay." I said, trying not to sound nervous.

He noticed, "You'll be fine, I think it's _me_ you should be worried about." He said gruffly with a sudden chuckle. I managed a little smile. Why was I so shy and scared of everything? Even my own brother scared me.


End file.
